The Last Airbender: Book 1 - Water
by Alan J. Worthington
Summary: The Fire Nation has besieged the world for one hundred years, uncontested by the other nations after their genocide against the Air Nomads. Hope has been lost, until two Water Tribesmen find the Avatar, the last airbender. Having reappeared into the world, how will the Avatar bring an end to the war? How will he cope with his race's genocide? At what cost will balance be restored?
1. Chapter 1: The Man in the Iceberg

**A/N: This work of fiction is based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender. This fiction follows the series' general storyline with the exception of most characters' age. For any character's age not mentioned in the following chapters, readers will assume that character is eight years older than the original character in the series. As some characters are older in this work of fiction than their counterpart in the series, the reader will notice a stark difference with many characters' attitudes and actions. To be fair, some characters have only matured. Others, in contrast, have changed completely to allow for a more mature-themed adventure. As a "warning," readers should look out for these differences.**

**AANG: 20 Years Old. Aang is a fully-realized Avatar, able to enter the state at any time. He knows all four bending arts, as well as "Energybending" (Though it is called Energybending, I think Soulbending sounds better and will use this name in place of the actual name from here on out). He is the most powerful bender of his time, and during the present era, 100 years ASC (After Sozin's Comet). He has taken his monk training seriously, and comes across as a serious man. He still has a sense of humor, though it is rarely seen, and is immensely spiritual. He and Katara will have a romance in this work of fiction.**

**KATARA: 22 Years Old. Katara is still her paternal self, and I won't really change her attitude, as I found very few things wrong with her in the series. One thing I will tell you is that she won't try to find the man who killed her mother. She has put that behind her, and traveling with Aang will help to keep her from feeling such anger. Minor changes if anything.**

**SOKKA: 24 Years Old. Sokka has changed a lot. He's now the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, after his father left more than ten years ago. Being the leader, he is more mature. You will probably not hear many jokes from him, if at all. He is a more capable warrior, capable of taking on a bender. He has a quiet demeanor, almost like a father figure, and is wiser than many people. Probably the most radical change I've made.**

**TOPH: 20 Years Old. Toph still has her rebellious attitude. Still locked up for most of her life, she'll leave with the Avatar to 'see' the world. Her demeanor is much the same as it is in the series. She will have matured to some extent, but I won't change her much.**

**ZUKO: 25 Years Old. The Prince still harbors a deep hatred for the Avatar, but like the series, it is rooted mainly in his father. As he travels with his uncle, Iroh, and as he battles Aang, he will come to terms with the fact that the Fire Nation has committed a terrible sin against the world. He will possibly defect from the Fire Nation much earlier than in the series. He won't be as hot-headed, and I plan to have him act more nobly earlier on.**

**MOMO: He's gone. Appa ate him or something, but I'm not writing about a lemur.**

**To avoid discrepancies, readers are encouraged to watch the series episodes to avoid any confusion between the actual series, and this non-canon work of fiction.**

**My attempt is to bring a more serious atmosphere to the world of Avatar while keeping it enjoyable for all ages. I hope I can do so, and apologize if this story is lacking in any way. You'll notice several cultural references throughout the story, and those references are to bring as much realism to the story as possible. If you notice that I have made an error in such a reference, please tell me. My goal is to make this story as culturally accurate as possible.**

**Also, as fair warning to you guys, I usually get bored with stories and move on to others. Currently, I'm working on stories for Phoenix Wright, a Mass Effect/Star Wars/Metroid crossover, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, Left 4 Dead, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. I usually work on a lot of stories so I don't get bored with just one, but some stories will have long updates. For this, I apologize. Don't hate!**

**As always, enjoy.**

* * *

**Long ago, the world was divided into four cultures: The Fire Nation, the Water Tribes, the Earth Kingdom, and the Air Nomads. Each had different practices and ways of life, and yet each thrived in a harmonious existence. Each culture was prominent in an ancient art, called "bending," and most benders' abilities were reflective of their individual culture. Fire Nation benders specialized in firebending, Water Tribe citizens waterbend, Earth Kingdom subjects earthbend, and Air Nomads airbend. Among these differing people existed a single entity that could simultaneously bend all four elements: the Avatar. The Avatar was the incarnation of the world's spirit, a physical embodiment of the power of the world. Born into a mortal body of one nation, the Avatar would go on to learn the other three elemental bendings before becoming a "fully realized Avatar." After death, the Avatar would be reborn into the next nation, following the cycle of elements. It was the duty of the Avatar to ensure peace in the physical realm, a duty that went beyond cultures and nationalities. It is because of this duty that the world panicked when the unthinkable happened. The Avatar disappeared from the face of the earth.**

**All hope had been considered lost until the reappearance of the Avatar one hundred years after his disappearance.**

**Witness the salvation of the world. Witness the birth of a legend. Witness the account of Aang, the Last Airbender.**

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**BOOK 1: WATER  
**_CHAPTER 1_

**The Man in the Iceberg**

Sokka and Katara, brother and sister of the Southern Water Tribe, drifted down the icy waters of the South Pole in their canoe, arctic seal skin stretched over bone to keep the canoe aloft while providing protection from collisions with icebergs. Being two of the few tribesmen capable of hunting in the freezing weather of the South Pole, both brother and sister were expected to provide for the tribe's wanting stomachs this day. Their last few times out in the arctic wastes hunting for seal had proven unfulfilling. Today, they were trying their luck at fishing. And fishing in the arctic wasn't as easy as throwing a line out into the sea from the comfort of the ground. Fish tended to keep out in open water, away from the seals lining the ice shelves, dozing in the sun. To fish in the arctic, you had to go where the fish were.

Sokka was eyeing a fish that circled the canoe, his spear wound back, ready to stab at a moment's notice. His eye tracked the fish carefully and, in one quick motion, he lunged and impaled the fish through the gills. He slid the dying creature off the tip of the spear, placing it into a net with a dozen more catches before eyeing his sister on the other side of the canoe.

Katara was waving her hands over the water, her eyes closed in concentration as she performed the ancient art of waterbending. Or at least tried to. Even as he watched, Katara levitated a bubble of water from the sea, a fish suspended in the blue orb. Sokka silently hoped she could do it this time; Katara was sensitive about her waterbending, and her lack of ability with the art was a sore subject. He was disappointed, then, when the boat knocked against an iceberg, breaking Katara's concentration. The bubble burst and the fish fell back into the ocean.

"Grrr!" Katara grabbed the edge of the canoe, glaring daggers at the iceberg that destroyed her contribution to Sokka's growing bounty. "Why is this so hard!? I've been trying to waterbend for almost fifteen years, and I _still_ can't get it right!"

Sokka put his hand on Katara's shoulder. "Be patient, Katara. One day, you'll learn the secret of waterbending, and your abilities will grow massively."

"Easy for you to say," Katara said dejectedly. Sokka smiled at Katara before turning back to the ocean, looking for more fish. He expertly used the spear as a paddle to avoid icebergs, the flat of the spear effective at steering the canoe. At times, he would spear a fish and add it to the growing pile of food in the net. Other times, he would steer while Katara continued to practice her waterbending.

Eventually, the two decided the day was beginning to wane, and turned the canoe back toward the mainland. Sokka was content to paddle the rest of the way back, allowing Katara to continue waterbending. She would attempt to form shapes out of the water, manipulate the currents, or move icebergs from their path, often accomplishing everything with little results. It only served to sour her mood, and Sokka decided to broach the subject.

"Perhaps you should call it quits for today," he suggested.

Katara sighed in frustration. "I'm so close, Sokka, I know it! I just want to get something right!" She grit her teeth in anger as she glared at the water that wouldn't obey her commands. "Every time we go out hunting, you're always the one that brings back the food, not me!"

Sokka smiled patiently at his younger sister. "That's not true, Katara. You're an able hunter yourself."

"But nowhere near as you!" she yelled into the air. "I'm sick and tired of not being able to contribute more effectively to the tribe! If I only knew waterbending!" She slapped the water's edge in frustration…

…and shot the canoe off-course as the currents obeyed her gesture.

"Spirits!" Sokka cried out, thrown back by the sudden and violent change of course. Katara clung to the canoe as the boat was pulled into a natural current that threatened to overturn the small vessel, wondering what she just did. Sokka used all his paddling experience in an attempt to shoot them out of the current, slowing the canoe by putting the flat of the spear against the current before surging forward with all the strength he had to turn the boat out of the current. Nothing worked, however, and Sokka could feel they were in great danger.

"Look out!" Katara cried out as she pointed at a large iceberg. "Left! Go left!" Sokka paddled as quickly and with as much strength as he could muster, but could feel the current's unyielding force not letting them go.

"Hold on!" he yelled as he saw the iceberg fill his vision, and braced himself against the canoe. The canoe thumped against the iceberg with enough force to fling both brother and sister out of the boat and onto the ice. Sokka rolled twice before landing on his stomach, stopping his slide with a stab of his hunting knife into the ice. As Katara rolled past him, he grabbed her arm to stop her from plummeting into the freezing water. He hauled her up onto the iceberg as he felt the body of frozen water settle after the jolt, stabilizing enough that he could rise to his hands and knees without slipping.

"That was close," he said, looking at Katara to see if she was hurt. He was relieved to see that she wasn't. At least, not physically.

"That's just great," she said as she sat up. "Just great. Not only does my waterbending not work when I need it to, but when it does, it gets us stranded without a canoe to get home." Sokka looked in the direction of their canoe and saw, with distress, that it was a shattered remains of bone and skin now. He stood with some difficulty, trying not to slip, and looked around at their situation as Katara came to her knees.

All around them, icebergs and water surrounded them. The mainland wasn't visible from where they were. Huge ice floes drifted across the sea, and the sun was setting on the horizon. Sokka gave it two more hours before the sun completed its five hour trek across the sky, and the South Pole would be encased in another nineteen hour night. He didn't want to admit it, but this was bad. Nights were bad on the South Pole. A man could freeze before the sun rose again if he didn't find shelter from the temperature.

"Let's just calm down. Anger won't help us here," Sokka reaffirmed, wishing he felt confident in his own words.

Katara sighed. "I'm sorry, Sokka."

Sokka turned to her. "No. Don't be. Accidents happen. We'll get out of this."

Katara stood on shaky legs as she grew accustomed to the sways of the iceberg. "I hope you're right."

The two tribesmen sat on the iceberg for almost an hour, huddled together to keep warm, all the while looking for ways to get back to the mainland. Sokka had brought up the idea of jumping from iceberg to iceberg as the bodies of frozen water crossed the ocean, but quickly shot the idea down himself. The ice was much too slippery for their boots. They would be lucky to not fall in the ocean. And if they did, they wouldn't even have to wait for nightfall to freeze to death. He considered the possibility of at least making it to a smaller iceberg that was thinner and closer to the water. He could paddle their way to the mainland, much like their canoe. But he didn't know how well an iceberg could maneuver in the currents, or if it could survive a collision with another iceberg. But he didn't give up hope. He continued looking for ways out of their predicament.

Katara, meanwhile, tried every which way to manipulate the water. Her waterbending got them into this mess; it could certainly get them out. But despite her attempts at patience, she quickly found that she wasn't going to be waterbending them back home any time soon.

Finally, Sokka took a seat beside Katara, his hood pulled up to protect his face from the wind. "Katara…" he began. "I hate to say it…but this might be it."

Katara hung her head as he uttered those words. She had guessed this might be it, but to hear someone else say it brought it to life. "Yeah…" she replied. "I guess this is."

Sokka put an arm around his sister. "I just want you to know that I love you. You're a great sister, and you were one of the reasons I kept going in life."

Katara sniffled as she also put an arm around her brother. "And I love you. You were always strong for me when I needed you to be. You were always patient. You were a good brother."

The two sat, huddled together, preparing for the end when they witnessed an event so magical, it defied reasoning.

Two ice floes collided near the tribesmen's own iceberg, the huge bodies breaking up from the force of the impact. As the ice fell around them, Sokka and Katara held each other close, struggling to stay on the iceberg as it tossed in the ensuing waves. As Sokka and Katara watched, however, an eerie blue light formed on the water surface, growing rapidly. Sokka and Katara stared in confusion and amazement, wondering what they were looking at when a giant frozen sphere surfaced between the ice floes. The sphere glowed a bright blue, unlike anything Sokka or Katara had ever seen before. It looked almost like the celestial lights they saw from time to time in the sky, and yet… something about this sphere seemed different.

Katara was the first to see it. As she gazed at the sphere in amazement, she saw something…inside. She squinted to better see, and gasped as she recognized the silhouette.

A man was inside!

"Sokka!" she said, all thoughts of death forgotten. "I can see someone in there!"

"Huh?" Sokka said in shock. "Who?"

Katara looked at him incredulously. "I don't _know_ who, idiot, but I _know_ someone is _in_ there!" She looked for a way across and saw pieces of the ice floe dotting the ocean between their iceberg and the sphere. Without thinking, she quickly and nimbly jumped from one iceberg to another, crossing the distance to the sphere and taking a closer look inside.

"Katara!" Sokka cried out, crossing the distance and coming up beside her. "Be careful! We don't know who's in there, or even what put him in there!" He looked around to see if anyone else was around that could explain this phenomenon. He had certainly never seen something like this naturally. It could only be explained by a human.

Katara continued staring inside the sphere, her gloved hands pressed against the ice as she gazed at the form inside. It looked like a man sitting down, fists pressed together in some form of meditation. An arrow glowed with bright white light on his head, as well as on both of his hands. As she stared, she thought she could see him move…

…and suddenly, his eyes opened, encompassed with the same white light.

She gasped. "He's alive!" She turned to Sokka as her brother stared in shock at the form inside the ice. He gently nudged her aside, unsheathing his club. "Stand back." He brought the club down with shattering force against the ice to see only the smallest of dents. The ice was thicker than anything he had seen. Still, he wailed away at the ice, making a bigger dent as fast as he could. For all he knew, the man could be dying in there.

As he chipped away at the ice, he could swear he was feeling the ice beneath him move. He stopped and looked at Katara, her face all he needed to confirm his suspicions. _We need to get off this ice now!_ "Go!" He cried out, and Katara turned without waiting for him, leaping onto an iceberg drifting by at that moment. He also leapt onto a passing iceberg, looking back at the sphere just in time to witness another unexplainable event.

A giant crack ripped through the entire sphere from top to bottom, and a bright pillar of light erupted from the top of the sphere into the sky. Sokka averted his eyes, the light was so blinding, and when the light faded, he saw that the topmost portion of the sphere had melted away. He stared as the figure inside the sphere came into view, stepping onto the edge of the sphere, and Sokka felt his breath catch in his throat.

The man was glowing! His eyes were white and glowing, and formations on his skin, shaped like arrows, glowed with the same white light. And Sokka couldn't really describe it, but it felt as if an aura of power rolled off this man. It was incredible and terrifying to witness at the same time.

As quickly as the moment came, it went. The man's glow subsided, and his stance faltered. Sokka suddenly knew that this man was going to fall and jumped back onto the ice to catch him…

…but Katara was suddenly there, her arms outstretched to cushion the man's fall. She crumpled under his weight and struggled to prop him up on her lap, looking at his face to see if he were still alive. She was surprised and relieved to see that he was. The man looked to be a few years younger than her, but looked healthy. His pulse was strong, and he was still warm.

"Who is this man?" Sokka asked, nudging the unconscious man with his boot. The man was dressed in an unusual manner: an orange shawl over a long-sleeved yellow shirt, an orange sash wrapped around what looked to be double-layered pants, and nimble boots reaching his knees. Definitely not winter-worthy gear. "And what's that on his head?" Sokka asked, keeping his club handy just in case this man proved to be dangerous. He traced the blue arrow on the man's head with the edge of his club, and Katara knocked it away.

"I don't know, but you shouldn't be holding your club up to his face." She glared at Sokka for a moment before looking back at the man, admiring his features. He was handsome, his face exotic with the blue tattoo and neatly trimmed brown beard lining his jaw, and as she held him, her hands could feel the muscle beneath his thin clothing. He stirred, and she gasped in relief and suspense. Slowly, his eyes opened, and she could tell even the fading light of the setting sun blinded him. _There's no telling how long he's been under the water in the ice. He probably hasn't seen light in years._ He opened his mouth to speak, but could only manage a rasping whisper. Katara quickly pulled her waterskin from her belt and tipped it up into the man's mouth. He drank greedily, and only after she pulled away the waterskin did he swallow and try again to speak. Even then, he could barely speak.

"Please…" he whispered. "Where am I?"

Surprised, Katara hesitated before answered, "You're at the South Pole."

The man took a few deep breaths, and Katara just then noticed that he had begun to shiver. "What year is it?"

Katara and Sokka looked at each other before the waterbender replied, "It's the year of the Ram, ninety-nine years after Sozin's Comet."

The man hesitated. "What?" he asked, struggling to sit up on his own. Katara helped him into a sitting position, cradling his shoulder in case he fell backwards. "Sozin's Comet?" Katara stared at the man as he struggled to collect his thoughts, his eyes darting in their sockets. He turned to her. "What do you mean, 'Sozin's Comet?'" he asked.

Katara furrowed her eyebrows. "The... comet Firelord Sozin used to start the war... almost one hundred years ago."

"War?!" the man asked, looking dumbfounded. He looked to both of the tribesmen, concerned at their unwavering expressions.

"Yes," she said, nodding. She cocked her head at the man as he cradled his head in his hands. "Who are you?"

The man rested his forearms on his thighs as he sighed. "My name is Aang, of the Air Nomads."

"Wait a second," Sokka interjected. "Air Nomads?"

Aang nodded. "Yes." He looked up at Sokka and cocked an eyebrow at the older man's expression. "Surely you've heard of them."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah, we've heard about them, but only in stories. As far as I knew, the Air Nomads were extinct."

Aang's face took on a look of shock. "Extinct? Impossible. The Air Nomads couldn't have been wiped out." He stood shakily, and Katara continued holding him up, just to make sure he was stable. "My people wouldn't be found if they didn't want to be." He nodded at Katara as he moved away from her and looked up into the ice formation he had come from. "Just a moment, please. I have to check on an old friend." With a quick blast of air, he sailed ten feet into the sphere, out of Sokka and Katara's sight.

"Whoa!" Sokka exclaimed. "He really _is_ an airbender!" He looked at Katara and saw the same surprised expression on her face. Without waiting, Sokka and Katara scrambled up the ice after the man.

What they found added to their list of surprises that day.

"What is _that!?_" Sokka asked. Aang was currently crouched in front of some sort of…creature. A very large creature that had horns and was covered in fur.

Aang looked back at the two siblings, smiling. "This is my friend, Appa. He's a sky bison." Aang turned back to waking the massive bovine, leaving the two tribesmen to stare in wonder.

"Sky bison!?" Sokka asked. He looked at Katara, as if she had an explanation, but only received a confused shrug.

"Come on, Appa. It's time to get up." Aang gently rubbed the bison's cheek as he patted the bison's nose. "We have to get moving." The huge animal stirred under its master's touch, emitting what sounded like a threatening growl. Sokka and Katara took a step back, the former unsheathing his club, and Aang laughed good-naturedly. "He won't hurt you. He's just tired." Katara saw his face grow more somber. "If what you say is true... If I really have been frozen for a hundred years, I imagine he's as tired as I am."

Appa eventually relented, standing with a protesting groan and shaking the snow from his fur. Aang turned back to the two tribesmen, hands on his hips. "Well, you've met Appa and me." He gestured to them. "What are your names?"

Sokka gestured to himself. "I'm Sokka, current leader of the Southern Water Tribe." He put his hand on Katara's shoulder as she bowed in respect. "This is my sister, Katara."

"It's nice to see another bender around here, even if they aren't of my element." Katara smiled at Aang.

"You're a waterbender?" he asked, and Katara nodded. Aang smiled. "Wonderful!" He looked at Sokka. "Do you have any bending talents?"

Sokka shook his head, hand on his hip. "No, I'm just a normal man." He looked at his sister, gesturing to her with a gloved hand. "Katara is the only waterbender at the South Pole, actually."

Shocked, Aang stared at Katara before sadness crossed his face. "What exactly has been happening since I've been gone?"

Sokka and Katara looked at each other before Sokka gestured out to sea. "Perhaps we should get back to the village first. We can explain everything there." He looked past Aang at Appa. "Considering its name, does Appa fly?"

Aang nodded with a smile. "Right!" He turned and jumped up onto Appa's head, grabbing the reigns and ushering the bison forward. "Hop on. I'll get you to your village in no time." The two tribesmen climbed into the huge saddle on Appa's back, and Aang pointed forward. "C'mon, Appa! Yip-yip!"

With a roar, the bison leapt from the ice and into the sea in a single bound. Sokka yelped in surprise, but Katara laughed with excitement. "Where are the harnesses on this thing?" Sokka asked as he gripped the saddle with a white-knuckled grip, causing more laughter from Katara.

Aang looked back with a grin of his own. "There are none. You just have to hold on tight!" Aang turned back to the sea, steering Appa through the ice fields before beckoning one of the tribesmen to him. "I think Appa's tired. It's probably best if he just swims for now. Because of that, I'm going to need some directions, if one of you wants to help me navigate."

Before Sokka could move up to Aang's side, Katara was there, sitting next to the airbender with a grin. "Just follow around that bend," Katara said, pointing at a large ice floe to their left. "If you keep traveling in that direction, you'll reach the mainland. Our village isn't too far from there."

Aang nodded. "You hear that, Appa? We'll be on dry land soon." He rubbed the bison's head, earning a cheerful grumble. He looked at Katara. "So you're a waterbender."

Katara looked away, ashamed. "Well... I guess I am. I'm not very good, though."

Aang smiled sympathetically at her, leaning his forearms on his knees as he looked at her. "Have you had proper teaching in waterbending?"

Katara looked at him as she shook her head. "No, I haven't. The only waterbenders I can think of would be at the North Pole on the other side of the world. Not much choice there."

"She doesn't give herself enough credit," Sokka called out from the saddle. "For not having a teacher, she's got a grip on the basics of it, I think. Not that I know what she's doing."

Aang laughed. "Bending the elements takes years to master. It's rare to be able to do more than make the slightest ripples in water for a few years."

"But that's thing!" Katara protested, her hands clenched as she recalled the difficulty she had when she tried to bend water. "I've been trying to waterbend for more than ten years and I still haven't been able to do much more than make ripples!" She sighed in frustration before looking at Aang. "And how would you know how fast a waterbender learns?"

Aang smiled. "I had many friends that were waterbenders. We all recounted the troubles we had bending our respective elements." He pulled left on Appa's reigns to avoid an iceberg as he looked at Katara. "Waterbending requires patience and an adaptive spirit." Aang pointed to the water flowing around Appa. "Look how the water changes to Appa's form as he swims through. It doesn't resist, merely adapts. Waterbending is the same. You must adapt and change with the situation, keeping a calm and graceful demeanor."

"But water can sometimes resist," Katara argued. "If you enter a current, you'll find the water is difficult, if not impossible to counter."

"And waterbenders can command water to do the same thing. But just as the water is merely adapting to the strong winds or terrain it encounters, so too must your will be ever-changing, adapting to your situation. You must be malleable, like water, or you will never learn waterbending."

Katara looked down thoughtfully as she considered Aang's words for a time. Eventually, she raised her head and asked another question. "How do you know what it's like to be a waterbender? I thought you were an airbender."

Aang nodded. "I am. But I had friends that were waterbenders. Remember those talks I mentioned about the troubles of bending our elements? How to bend our elements in the first place was also talked about." He held up a finger, as if to drive the point. "For instance, airbending requires a free spirit, nimbly dodging and evading a person's strikes. But, at the same time that I dodge an opponent's strike, my movements are winding up the air for an offensive attack. Waterbending is different. You guide your opponent's attacks, deflecting them and even turning them against themselves, much like water guides these icebergs." Aang gestured to the ice around Appa.

Katara nodded, satisfied with his answer. "I think I get it. For an airbender, you seem to know a lot about waterbending."

Aang nodded. "My friends and I talked a lot." He laughed before returning to steering Appa.

They drifted through the water for a time before Katara asked another question.

"Hey, Aang? This might seem like a weird question...but did you know who the next Avatar was? After the Fire Nation Avatar?"

Aang was silent for a moment, and Katara thought that was suspicious, but he answered before she could voice it. "I knew of him," he said quietly. "He was an airbender, like me. But I never met him."

"I'm sorry, Katara said. "I thought maybe you would know where he went. After the last Avatar died, we hadn't heard of him. Even when the war started, we heard nothing of him." Katara sighed, hanging her head dejectedly. "I just want this war to be over."

Aang thought about asking her to clarify about this 'war' they were talking about, a feeling of trepidation creeping into his stomach. Without warning, however, he felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. Slowly, his eyelids closed, and though he knew he shouldn't sleep, it was all he wanted to do. Katara must have seen it, for she put a hand on his shoulder, concern etched on her face. "Aang?"

He jolted up, returning his eyes back to the sea. But his focus wasn't there. And he knew it. "I'm sorry," he said. "I think I'm still weary from escaping that ice formation. I just...want to sleep."

Katara nodded, looking at the setting sun. "Perhaps you should go back to the saddle and rest. If Appa doesn't mind me steering, I can lead us home. Navigating through these waters at night is treacherous, but my brother and I have experience."

Aang nodded. "What do you say, buddy?" Appa growled his agreement and the airbender nodded. "I'm sorry for you having to do this," he said to Katara as he crawled to the saddle.

"Don't be!" Katara assured as she took up the reigns. "You need rest. You must be exhausted. I can handle it from here."

Aang nodded sleepily as he collapsed on the saddle, sleep quickly taking over.

**. . . . .**

Aang woke suddenly to the sound of voices. Of laughter. He looked around and saw that he was in a tent of sorts, lying in a sleeping bag over a straw flooring. The laughter was from children, and Aang guessed he was in the Southern Water village. He sat up with a groan, rubbing the sleep from his eyes when he heard the tent flap open.

"Aang!" Katara was there, smiling at him. "Did you have a good rest?"

Aang lay back down as he stretched, the satisfying tingling traveling throughout his entire body. "I did," he groaned. "Thank you."

"Great!" Katara exclaimed cheerfully. "Go ahead and get dressed. I'd like you to meet my village."

Aang nodded as he sat up. "I'd like that." In one quick motion, he airbent himself to a standing position and retrieved his clothes, pulling his shirt over his torso...

...but not before Katara was mesmerized by his blue tattoos lining his arms and back. As his shirt slid over the marks, Katara snapped back to reality and, blushing, stepped away from the tent to give Aang privacy.

He emerged moments later, the sudden white of the entire village momentarily blinding him. As his eyes adjusted to the bright reflection of the sun on snow, he saw with surprise that the snow wasn't simply covering every structure in a blanket of white, like he expected… Every structure was _made_ of snow!

His surprise was an exact mirror of the villagers. There were only a dozen or so villagers, and Aang noticed that all of them were either female, children, or elderly. Each was dressed in the same fashion: A blue anorak and trousers lined with white fur, mittens and mukluks. Each stared at him as if he had three heads.

Katara ushered him near the villagers, directing him with a hand on his back. "Aang," Katara said, waving her hand to the village. "Meet the village. Everyone, this is Aang."

Aang knew he should have bowed, but didn't. He couldn't. His muscles were paralyzed as he looked upon the 'entire village.' "This is your entire village?" he asked Katara.

Katara nodded sadly. "Our men sailed off to the Earth Kingdom years ago, when I was a child. This is all that remains."

Aang looked between the villagers and Katara, as if to see if such a thing were really true. It was almost too horrible to believe. The look on their faces, however, lent credence to Katara's words. "Katara, I'm sorry," he said, unable to truly understand just how she was feeling.

Before Katara could reply, an older woman stepped up, addressing Aang. She was bent over from old age, her hair as white as the snow of her village. Aang saw that her hair was in a similar style to Katara's, and that the woman seemed to bear other similarities to the young waterbender: her eyes had the same hardened look, and she gave off an air of tough compassion. "Forgive us for our hesitance, young Aang," she said, honoring him as a guest at her village, "but you are the first airbender we've seen in over one hundred years."

"One hundred years?" Aang asked, shocked. He looked at Katara, knowing then that she and her brother had been telling the truth. He looked back at the old woman. "How is this possible?"

The old woman's features took on a look of sadness, and she seemed to droop even further to the ground. It was as if she was suddenly exhausted from a long day. "Perhaps we should talk in private," she said quietly, and Aang could tell he had stirred up emotions that weighed heavily on the woman.

Aang nodded and followed the old woman to her home, a snow structure on the edge of the village. Despite its looks, it was actually quite sturdy, and the snow felt like a wall when Aang laid a hand on it while stooping to enter the house. It was dark in her home. No windows were placed in the wall, nor did she have any lanterns to light the room. The old woman gestured for Aang to sit on one side of a cooking pit dug into the center of the building, sitting only after he had. Katara disappeared into another part of the small house, returning with a metal spit and pot and placing it over the pit. She filled it with snow and retreated back into the house for more supplies. She returned with dark lumps, placing them into the pit, and only when she knelt down at the pit did Aang see that the lumps were clumps of animal dung. Being an ambassador for his people, he knew the Water Tribe had to rely on other sources of fuel to start fires, though he had momentarily forgotten what type of sources they used. She struck flint rocks together, successfully catching the dung on fire before settling down near Aang.

Katara began with the introductions. "Aang, this is my grandmother, Kanna."

Aang bowed his head in deference as he formed a sign of respect with his hands. "It's an honor to meet you, elder."

"Hmm." Kanna said, eyeing the airbender critically. She pulled at her arthritic hands as she considered him. "So you're truly an airbender."

Aang nodded, visibly distressed and not at all distracted as Katara rose to move out of sight again, likely accomplishing another task. "Yes. Please, why have you not seen my people in so long? The Air Nomads and the Southern Water Tribe were on good relations when I was last here."

"Really…" Kanna said, stroking her chin. "How long ago was that?" She accepted the shawl Katara brought to her, waving the waterbender away as she focused on Aang.

Aang hung his head. "I… don't know." He searched his memory for anything that would tell him just how long he had been frozen, but nothing was forthcoming. "I only remember riding on Appa, my sky bison. I was on my way here, to the Southern Water Tribe. Midway, a storm forced us down into the ocean. I blacked out, and when I awoke, it was to your granddaughter's face." He looked at Katara, the waterbender adding more snow to the pot as it melted, before looking back at Kanna. "That's truly all I remember."

Kanna continued stroking her chin in thought. "That's quite a story. But it doesn't tell us how long you were in that ice. Or how you got there in the first place." She clasped her hands together and leaned forward. "Perhaps you can tell me about the relationship of the four nations as you remember them." She smiled at Katara as the waterbender added tea leaves to the water, brewing up tea for their guest.

Hesitant at first, Aang nodded. "I remember the Air Nomads, Earth Kingdom, Water Tribes, and Fire Nation were peaceful towards each other. I remember Puyi was the Earth King, Sozin was the Fire Lord, and Komi was the Chieftain of the Northern Water Tribe. Haraku was the Chieftain of the Southern Water Tribe, and…" He suddenly stopped, noticing Kanna's sudden intake of air, as well as her suddenly freezing in the middle of reaching for a small glass of tea Katara was offering, at the mention of Haraku. "Did you know Haraku?" Aang asked.

Kanna nodded slowly, and when she answered, her voice was quieter than before. "Yes. He was my father." She drank her tea, offering nothing more in explanation.

Aang's eyes grew wide at her implication. "Your father? But I don't remember him having any children!" He accepted a cup from Katara as well, holding it near his lap but not drinking.

Kanna nodded again. "Yes. My father was the chieftain of this tribe since before I was born, over eighty years ago."

"Eighty years…" Aang whispered to himself, the realization setting in.

"I know this will come as a shock to you, Aang," Kanna said, "but however you survived the freezing depths of the ocean, you did it for more than eighty years. If you don't remember my father having a daughter, then you knew him before I was born."

Aang's thoughts were a turmoil, memories flying through his head faster than he could think. _Was it possible?_ _I froze myself to survive, and lived unchanged in ice for over one hundred years?_

"I…" he started, looking for the words he couldn't find. "I've been frozen for over one hundred years." He looked at his hands but didn't really see them. He heard Katara take a seat next to him but didn't notice her. He thought of his friends, of his fellow monks at the temples before remembering what Kanna had said. _We haven't seen an airbender in over one hundred years._ He looked at Kanna, and even in her failing sight she could see the desperation that lined his face. "Please. Tell me everything that's happened within the last one hundred years."

Kanna nodded, taking another drink of her tea. "Over one hundred years ago, the Fire Lord, Sozin, launched a devastating attack against the other nations. It was only possible because of a comet that blazed through the atmosphere and magnified all firebending on an uncalculated scale. My father told me it was some time after the Avatar had died, and the reincarnation had been reborn in the Air Nomads. Sozin…" Kanna stopped, suddenly hesitant, and Aang felt that he didn't want to hear her next words. He felt Katara's hand on his forearm and almost jumped, forgetting she was there.

He held her gaze, his eyes demanding to know the truth. "The Avatar was born into the Air Nomads. What did Sozin do?"

"He…" Kanna started, fear and hurt in her eyes. Her cup trembled, and Katara leaned over to place a comforting hand on the older woman's arm. Kanna instead gave the cup to her granddaughter, huddling in on herself as if to stave off a brutal cold. "He led an attack on all four temples. He intended to kill the Avatar before he or she was fully realized. We don't know if any airbenders survived."

Aang's heart dropped like a stone. His face was paralyzed with fear, the thought of his people extinct impossible to fathom.

"It didn't stop there," Katara continued, having moved over to hold her grandmother close. "The Fire Lord attacked every nation across the world. My tribe was whittled down to what you see now. Even my mother…" she stopped, and Aang's heart dropped even further into the abyss. He could guess what she had tried to say.

"Even after Sozin died, his son carried on his will and continued the war." Kanna sighed, shaking her head with sadness. "We've been at war ever since, trying to survive with what little we can find while evading the Fire Nation. Only recently did the men of our village rise up and sail to the Earth Kingdom to coordinate a counterattack against the Fire Nation's march."

Aang nodded. "Has there been any word of their success? Have they stopped the Fire Nation's advances?"

Kanna shook her head. "We've heard nothing. The Fire Nation still stalks our waters, and no one seems to be able to stop them. Only the Avatar could hope to stop them, but we think he or she was killed long ago, during the attack on the Air Nomad temples."

Aang nodded again, staring at the ground. He didn't speak, and Katara laid a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, knowing it must be hard to accept. "I'm sorry, Aang."

Aang shook his head. "No. I'm sorry." When he looked up again, it was with a look of determination. "I've been away from the world for too long. It's time I bring it back into balance." Without warning, his eyes and tattoos flickered with a white light before returning to normal.

Kanna gasped. "You… You're the Avatar?!" Aang nodded and Kanna broke into a grin of relief. "Oh, thank the spirits! We're saved!"

Katara had removed her hand from Aang in surprise, her eyes wide. "But you said you weren't the Avatar!"

Aang nodded as he looked down. "I know. But after you mentioned a war, I didn't know what the world was like. I didn't even know if you were telling the truth. I'm sorry, but I couldn't trust you." He looked at Katara with sympathy. "But seeing what you've gone through, and after everything you've told me, I see you were truthful." He looked at Kanna. "There _is_ a war, and it's up to _me_ to stop it." He stood, bowing to Kanna as Katara helped her grandmother up. "I'm truly sorry for intruding, elder, and I'm honored to have been housed here. But I must travel to the Northern Water Tribe to assess the situation with your sister tribe."

Kanna nodded. "Yes, if you think that is best, honored Avatar." The old woman gave a deep bow of respect to Aang as the airbender exited the house, looking around for Appa. The bison wasn't hard to find, huddled into a snow bank, his six legs tucked under his stomach to keep warm. Sokka was standing near Appa, sharpening the edge of his club with a whetstone, looking up and smiling at Aang as the younger man approached.

"Aang. Did Gran-gran catch you up?" The warrior sheathed his club as Aang stopped a few feet from him.

Aang nodded. "Yes. I have a lot of work to do." Sokka cocked his head, and Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed again, very briefly, before returning to normal.

Sokka's eyes widened as he understood, and he went to one knee, hands formed into a sign of respect. "Honored Avatar, please forgive my disrespect. I didn't know."

Aang beckoned him up. "Rise. You pay homage to no one. That is the very thing I aim to stop." He looked at Katara and Sokka before looking at the village. The villagers had returned to their normal activities; women were sewing clothes from animal skins or preparing food, repairing or adding on to houses or scolding children. The children themselves ran about the village, playing and laughing, and Aang smiled at the sight. "If the Fire Nation is truly as you say they are, they must be stopped. A scene like this is beautiful." He gestured to the entire village as he spoke. "I would have it stay that way."

Katara stopped Aang as he made to mount Appa. "Wait. Do you still doubt us about the Fire Nation?"

Aang shook his head. "You've given me no reason to doubt you. But I must still have the other nations' accounts before I take action." He looked down, somber. "And I must find out what has become of my own people…"

Katara cocked an eyebrow. "But if you have to get the consent of each nation, that could take weeks or months. We don't have that kind of time."

Aang shook his head. "One man won't make that much of a difference, no matter how much power he has been bestowed. And I must hear from the other nations before I take action, or I will have made the same mistake the Fire Nation made. I will not condemn one nation based on another nation's voice. I will see the extent of this war before I decide how to balance the power."

Katara sighed, but nodded. "I suppose that's fair."

Aang tensed, already asserting his position as Avatar to those who would doubt. "It is fair. I will not make an uneducated decision." His visage softened as he spoke in a gentler tone. "I will enact justice. Your mother will be avenged, Katara. I promise you."

Katara nodded. She opened her mouth to reply but had only begun to sound out the first word when a woman ran up to Sokka.

"Sokka! Fire Nation ship off the east coast!"

Sokka was immediately ready, bursting into action. Without a second of hesitation, he ran off in the direction the woman had specified, calling out to the women of the tribe to mount the defense. Aang was impressed to see that, though they were left behind, these women were far from defenseless. They each ran in seemingly chaotic ways but quickly took up defensive positions with weapons ranging from spears and clubs to daggers, machetes and kukri.

Even as he watched, black snow started to fall around them. Katara only looked at it once before she grabbed Aang's hand and pulled him in the direction Sokka had run. "C'mon, Aang! You have to help us!" Aang nodded but hesitated.

"Hold on just a second." He leapt into Appa's saddle and grabbed a long staff, an heirloom given to him by a good friend when he was ten years old. He jumped back down and nodded at Katara, and together the two took off towards the east coast.

They scaled the wall surrounding the village, gazing east to watch for the ship. A thick fog clung to the water's surface, making it hard to see, and Aang briefly considered waving the fog away with airbending before a massive shadow became visible in the fog. Aang watched with determination as the shape became larger and larger, eventually turning into the Fire Nation ship they had heard about.

It was smaller than the Fire Nation ships he was used to, and its design had definitely gone through a change. It was sleeker, and completely made of metal, and was definitely more fearsome than he remembered. Fire Nation ships from his time were still made of wood, and were larger and bulkier than what he saw here. This boat was a warship.

As he watched the ship come closer, he noticed with regret that they had no intentions of stopping. He looked at Katara and Sokka, as well as the few women that had joined them up on the wall, and knew this was not a time to hide his abilities. He needed to protect these people.

Looking back at the ship, he raised his hands and, in a fluid and graceful gesture, crashed a wave against the left side of the ship. Continuing the gesture, he brought a wave to the other side and, in one final fluid motion, froze the water, trapping the ship just off the east coast.

He ignored the startled looks he was getting from the tribesmen, instead leaping into the air with airbending, soaring all the way to the ship's bow, where he landed with feline grace. As he stood, he saw Fire Nation infantry prepared for a battle, hunkered down in a traditional stance. Their armor was intimidating, crafted to look like devils with white skulls. But the man in the middle was even more intimidating, if Aang were to be intimidated. He had a shaved head except for a ponytail, and had a scowl that could melt the ice wall of the village. But his most noticeable feature was the dark red scar over one half of his face. It looked like a terrible burn, and Aang briefly wondered how the man got such a horrible scar.

He brought his attention back to the here and now, twirling his staff before slamming the butt into the floor, glaring at the Fire Nation soldiers. "Why have you come here?"

The scarred one stepped forward, glaring at Aang. A fury hid behind his scowl, something Aang was unprepared for. It was as if his anger were directed at Aang himself, but he had never met the man. "We've come for the Avatar! Are you him?"

Aang looked at the other soldiers before returning his gaze to the scarred one. "I am."

The scarred man's scowl deepened, and without warning he rushed forward, delivering a powerful kick that ignited the air in fire. Aang turned a full 360 degrees, his staff sweeping the air. He broke the fiery attack with a wall of air before thrusting his hand toward his attackers and slamming them in the chest with a solid wave of air.

He ceased his attack, hoping they would rethink their decision to attack. As the soldiers struggled to rise, Aang saw an older man step up from the lower decks, dressed in red robes and hair tied in a topknot. He hesitated as he took sight of the scene, and the scarred man yelled out. "Uncle! It's the Avatar!" Aang saw the older man glare at him, but he made no move to attack. They stared each other down before Aang decided to speak.

"You should turn back! I have no desire to kill you!"

The old man still stared at him, and the scarred man rose to a knee, clutching his chest as he glared at Aang. "What are you waiting for, Uncle? Kill him!"

"Silence, Prince Zuko!" the man yelled before turning to the Avatar. His sudden fury at this 'Prince Zuko' was suddenly replaced with a respectful, almost fearful silence as he considered Aang. "You are truly the Avatar?"

Aang's tattoos and eyes glowed briefly in reply.

The man nodded. "I see. It seems we are in a difficult position, honored Avatar. I am here supporting my nephew in his endeavors, one of which is to capture you alive and return you to the Fire Nation. Doing this will restore his honor among his people. But you, I sense, have a great purpose of your own."

Aang nodded. "I do. I have heard that the Fire Nation has made war on the other nations. My aim is to find out why and bring an end to the war." His eyes glowed briefly. "The world will be balanced."

The old man nodded. "I understand. And I hope, considering the circumstances I have been placed in, you will understand my actions." He allowed only a moment's notice before he began his attack. Aang swept the fire aside, but noticed the strength of this man exceeded the scarred man's by a great amount. Though he seemed fragile and weak, the portly man was very powerful in the art of firebending. As the old man pressed his fiery attack, the scarred man and his soldiers stood, recovered during the old man and Aang's brief conversation, and threw their might into the attack. Aang twirled his staff in circles, deflecting or dissipating the fire before bring the staff down on the ship. A massive wave of air surged forward, destroying any firebending attacks the men might have made, as well as knocking them down.

As they fell to the ground, Aang waved his arms, drawing water into the boat and surrounding the men. Finally, he clenched his fist, freezing the water and trapping the men in ice, save for their head.

Aang walked up to the old man, knowing that even his power couldn't melt the ice fast enough to attack Aang. The Avatar knelt near the old man, and he saw the man's eyes grow wide with alarm. "What is your name, elder?"

The man gulped. "Iroh, of the Fire Nation."

Aang nodded. "The Fire Nation may believe their cause is just, but I believe you know the truth. I hope you gain the same courage I must have to bring balance to the world." Aang left the man speechless, standing and walking to the edge of the boat. He used his airbending to leap back onto the ice wall surrounding the village, turned to the boat and waved his arms in a waterbending stance, melting the ice trapping their boat with such magnitude, it steamed and blocked the boat from view. He began waving his arms in a circular motion, and though the others couldn't see it, he knew the water was turning the boat to face away from the village. With a final push, he formed a massive wave that carried the boat out into the ocean.

Katara stared in amazement as she witnessed waterbending she had only dreamed of. She turned to Aang to tell him how incredible he was, but the airbender wasn't there. She looked behind her and saw that both Aang and Sokka were making their way to Appa. Quickly, she leapt down and joined them, calling out to Aang.

The airbender turned to acknowledge her and spoke before she could. "Katara, I must leave." Surprised, Katara couldn't find words as Aang continued. "Those men were looking for me. I don't know how they knew I was still alive, but your village is in great danger so long as I'm here."

Katara had always been stubborn, and today proved no different. "Fine. I'm coming with you!"

Both Aang and Sokka were surprised to hear her say that. "Katara! Why would you want to travel with the Avatar!" Sokka took a step forward, his eyes narrowed. "His journey will be dangerous!" He grabbed her arm, turning her attention from the Avatar. "You can't throw yourself into that life! We need you here!"

Katara glared back, shoving her brother's hand away from her. "This might be my only chance to learn waterbending! He could teach me, and I can help him bring balance back to the world!" She looked at Aang with an almost pleading gaze. "You said yourself that no one man has enough power to bring balance to the world. You're going to need help." She brought her hand to her heart. "I offer you my loyalty, Avatar. For the good of the world."

Aang remained silent, instead looking at Sokka with a questioning glance. Sokka stood mulling over Katara's words before he sighed. "Fine. If you're going, I'm going too."

At this, Aang gasped. "You two would leave your village and travel with me willingly?" He looked between the both of them. "It will be as you say, Sokka. There will rarely be a moment we aren't in terrible danger. Just being in my presence puts you at risk."

Sokka nodded as Katara spoke. "We know, Aang. But we want to help. The Fire Nation has hurt our people long enough. It's time we do something about it."

Aang watched their faces, looking for any sign of hesitance or fear and saw none. They were truly ready to fight the Fire Nation, no matter the cost. "Very well. Gather only your necessities. We will travel lightly so as to make good time. Meet me here when you're ready."

Katara and Sokka nodded and quickly ran to their house. Sokka grabbed several weapons of choice while Katara grabbed a waterskin to aid in her waterbending. Both grabbed their provisions of food they were allotted, as well as sleeping bags and rushed back to Aang. The airbender nodded before looking past them, and the siblings turned to see their grandmother walking up to them.

"It's true, then? You're to leave with the Avatar?" She watched as both siblings nodded and sighed wearily. "Very well. It pains me to see you two leave, but if this is what you must do, then I can't stop you." She walked up to them, pulling them into an embrace. "I only ask that you two take care of yourselves. Protect the Avatar. Help him bring balance back to the world."

"We will, Gran-gran," Katara said, holding back tears as the realization hit her that she may never see her home again.

"You can count on us." Sokka assured before pulling away. "Tell Kari she's in charge now. She's ready to protect the tribe."

Kanna nodded. "I will." She looked at the Avatar and stepped closer to him. "Honored Avatar, please... Bring balance back to this world so we may live without fear. That is my only request."

Aang bowed. "Then it is one I shall complete." He nodded at her before gesturing to the two tribesmen to mount up. "Let's hurry. We have to draw that ship away from your village."

The three mounted Appa and, with a roar, the bison took off into the air, drawing gasps and cries of excitement from the ground below. Aang steered Appa towards the direction the ship had been thrown, after a short flight, found it. Aang commanded that Appa roar as loud as possible, just to make sure the scarred man would know it was the Avatar, before flying past. He hung back far enough to make sure the ship was in pursuit and, when he knew it was, urged Appa onward.

"C'mon, Appa. We have a world to save!"


	2. Chapter 2: The Southern Air Temple

**BOOK 1: WATER  
**_CHAPTER 2_

**The Southern Air Temple**

The group made camp near a brook, the sky's tint darkening with night approaching. They had passed over into Earth Kingdom territory hours ago, sea traded for plains and forests as Appa soared through the air. The tribesmen marveled at the span of the world as they saw trees, dirt roads, stone buildings, mountains, great chasms, and more. They asked Aang many questions about this new world they were introduced to: what do people eat with no water around for miles? What are those buildings made of? What is stone? What are those giant triangles on the horizon? What is grass? Aang enjoyed teaching them the many things about their world, feeling only slightly awkward to be explaining something so mundane as grass to a person. Only halfway through the day did Aang decide to alter course.

"I want to visit my home. I want to see the Southern Air Temple for myself." He shook his head. "It's not that I don't believe you, but…" He looked down, unable to say the words.

Katara laid a hand on his forearm, having taken a seat beside him as he steered Appa through the air. "You have to know," she finished for him, and he nodded.

"I do." His face betrayed no emotion, but Katara could see it in his eyes. He was scared. Whether he masked it from extreme discipline or as an obligation as the Avatar, she didn't know. But she knew he was afraid. And nothing she could say would alleviate his fears.

She tried to take his mind off his worries, instead asking him about his favorite pastime or favorite foods. How he learned waterbending, and if he knew any more bending. Aang tried to keep up his enthusiasm, but Katara could tell his heart wasn't in it. She half-smiled at him sympathetically to show her support, but left him to his thoughts as she retired to the saddle with her brother. Their flight was uneventful, and Katara and Sokka grew bored of watching the world fly by them at breakneck speeds. Eventually, and to the delight of the tribesmen, the sky bison landed near a small river, the bank low enough to allow a camp, but secluded from any roads or trails by forests on all sides. Aang unsaddled Appa to give the bison a break from the harness while Katara set up camp and Sokka went to the river to fish for food.

Aang finished with Appa and let the bison wander the treeline to graze, allowing the Avatar to help Katara set up camp. He gathered firewood from deadwood along the forest floor while Katara rolled out the sleeping bags and laid out their food, rationing it based on Aang's prediction of travel time.

"The blubbered seal jerky will last a while, even in warm weather like this. We can leave that for emergencies." She set the wrapped pieces of meat aside as she looked at Sokka fishing in the river. "We'll have to eat the fish as we catch it. If we keep near rivers or streams, we shouldn't have a problem with food." She looked up at Aang as she explained the finer points of cuisine. "Meat didn't go bad so fast at the South Pole, but I don't imagine that's the case here."

Aang grimaced as he shook his head. "It won't last long at all. Though I'm sure the jerky will last you longer than you suspect." She cocked her head at him as he explained, "I'm a vegetarian."

"Really?" Katara asked, and Aang nodded. "Alright. Well, most of our food consisted of meat. I'm not sure I can really help you there. I don't even know what plants are edible around here."

Aang looked around as he put his hands on his hips. "I'll find something to eat. I've known what to look for all my life."

Katara nodded with a smile. "Alright. If you need any help, just ask." With that, Aang set out to find edible flora while Katara waited for Sokka to bring her fish to prepare. By the time the sun had set beyond the treelines, Aang had returned, his hands full of nuts, berries, and some fruits indigenous to the forest. Katara and Sokka were well into their meal, each eating a fish cooked on a spit over a fire. Appa had eaten his fill of grass and was curled up along the beach, asleep.

The three ate in silence, though it was a different kind of silence for each. Sokka was comfortable with the silence, content to eat in peace as he let his mind wander. Katara was trying to muster courage to ask Aang to teach her waterbending, along with just trying to get to know him better. Aang was terrified of what he might find at the Air Temple, knowing it was unhealthy to worry, but unable to stop all the same.

Katara noticed Aang was still scared of what was awaiting him at the Air Temple, and decided to do something about it. She had finished eating a while ago and had watched Aang as he, too finished eating, and now sat staring at the fire. "Aang?" she asked. "Are you alright?"

Aang looked up, startled. "Oh, yes. I'm fine." He smiled at her, but Katara remained unconvinced.

"You're scared, aren't you?"

Aang looked away, ashamed. "I shouldn't be," he said in a small voice.

Katara stared sadly at him as she considered his age. Only twenty years old and already shouldering the largest burden a man could carry. On top of the responsibilities he had to keep the peace in the world, he lived with a fear of his entire race being wiped out. Katara truthfully didn't know if the Air Nomads were wiped out in the attack, but she had never seen one as long as she lived—not before Aang. She didn't want to believe they were extinct, but logic seemed to point to an ugly truth. It was enough for any one man—no matter how much power he held—to feel lost and completely alone.

"You can be, though." She laid a hand on his arm. "The Avatar has just as much right to feel as a normal human being. How else can he make the right choices for the world unless he feels as the people do?" She saw Aang smile at her words and hoped they brought him some comfort. "I know it's not going to make you feel better, but Sokka and I are here for you." She looked at her brother. "Right, Sokka?"

"Of course," the warrior replied with a nod. "Katara's right. You have to care as much as everyone else. Even more so. Where we usually wouldn't think twice, you must have thought it out a third time." He looked into the fire as he gestured to it. "Consider the Fire Nation. Katara and I hate the Fire Nation with a passion. I know it's wrong to do so, but what they did to my family is all I can think about when I think of them." He looked at Aang. "You, on the other hand, must find reasons to love them, because they're a part of this world. When we refuse to care about the Fire Nation anymore, you must still care. How else can that race be saved?" Having said his piece, he resumed sharpening his club with his whetstone, and Katara turned back to Aang.

"That pretty much says it." She smiled as she patted Aang's arm. "Aang, if there's anything I can do, just let me know." She meant it sincerely, and Aang smiled at her to let her know he knew it.

"Your presence is enough," he said simply. He suddenly stood and beckoned to Katara. "Perhaps some waterbending would ease my mind." At this, Katara's face lit up.

"Really?!" she asked, and Aang nodded his head with a smile. "Yes!" she said, fist pumped in the air, and Aang laughed at her excitement. He beckoned her to the beach, stripping off his clothes as he did so.

"We airbenders wear loose clothing for meditation. It helps us focus and keeps us comfortable. Your kimono may be a bit bulky, so you might want to consider removing it. You'll want to be comfortable." He smiled to himself he removed all but his undergarments and placed the clothes neatly on the beach far enough away that they wouldn't get wet from stray waterbending. He watched as Katara removed her own clothing, down to her undergarments, and decided that, though he didn't know Katara really well, she had a fierce determination about her, but seemed to have a strong morality. She didn't show discomfort at the thought of removing her clothes in front of him, at least not outwardly, and he didn't once see her ogle his body. He returned the same respect, only looking at her face.

He stepped into the water, going no further than ankle-deep, and sat down, the water cool against his skin. He crossed his legs in a common meditative stance, hands resting on his calves and beckoned for her to do the same. As she also crossed her legs, he began.

"To truly bend any spirit, you must first find stability and harmony within yourself. The body harbors an innate energy capable of amazing feats of strength, called chi. This chi is the key to bending any element. Without recognizing and controlling your chi, you can never waterbend."

"You've already experienced tapping into your chi, if you can waterbend to any extent. How good you are at waterbending depends on how you manipulate and control your chi. You, as a waterbender, will manipulate your chi differently from an airbender, earthbender, or firebender. All you have to do is recognize the chi within yourself, and then discover how to manipulate it. Doing this will make you a proper waterbender."

Katara nodded. "Alright. I'm ready."

Aang nodded and closed his eyes. "Look deep inside yourself, at the core of your very being. An energy inside you burns with the strength of a thousand suns, simply begging to be let out, and yet your subconsciousness is afraid to let out this energy. Once you unlock it, there is no going back. The bender within you craves this energy, but the human within you simply wants to lead a normal life. This is a decision you, a bender or a human, must make now. Do you simply lead a normal life, where you can be happy and carefree? Or do you take on the role of a bender, where you will, in some small way, be responsible for the fate of the world?"

He was silent for a time, waiting for a response from Katara, and as the waterbending searched her inner self for her chi, he began meditating himself. Katara focused on her core, the energy she felt when she was angry, sad, or joyful, as she knew that was the feeling Aang was telling her about. It was responsive to extreme emotion, she knew, but often uncontrolled in such events. She needed to find it…and control it.

As she searched for it, her thoughts turned to what Aang had said about being a bender or normal human. She knew what he meant about ignoring her bending capabilities and being a normal human. It was pretty self-explanatory. But what he had said about being a bender made her somehow responsible for the fate of the world was troubling. What did he mean? Was she really to have that big of an impact? How did he know? Did he even know what he was talking about? He must, being the Avatar and all! Maybe it wasn't meant in the scope she was thinking. Perhaps she was to influence people through waterbending, if she were to become one. Somehow, she would influence people, who would influence others base on her actions, and so on and so forth. It was a giant scope to be sure, and it was certainly looking at a bigger picture than she was accustomed to… But she smiled inwardly at the idea of bringing good to the world through waterbending. She could use waterbending to help Aang, first of all. Bringing balance to the world was definitely a good thing worthy of learning the bending arts. But even if she could help another human being with her abilities, it would be worth it. Smiling physically at this revolution, she decided that, no matter what it took, she would learn what it meant to be a waterbender.

Almost at once, she felt a sudden pulse of energy through her body, one so strong it made her gasp. "Aang!" she cried out, and she looked at the airbender as he smiled at her. "I think I've found it."

The airbender nodded. "You've discovered the responsibilities of a bender, and their responsibilities to the world." He smiled even wider. "It's an intoxicating experience, one that you will never forget. In unlocking your chi, you can use it to manipulate your respective element in all its forms." He held up a finger. "For now, though, I want you to continue meditating on your chi. Become familiar with it. Feel it coursing through your body, and when you can feel it at your scalp as well as your toes, we'll continue with the next step." He closed his eyes and began meditating once more, and though she was excited to be one step closer to waterbending, Katara understood the wisdom behind Aang's words and closed her eyes as well.

For the next hour, the two meditated together, clearing their minds of distraction and focusing on energy; Katara meditated on the energy within her, learning it inside and out. Aang felt and embraced the energies pouring around him: the water, the trees, the rocks, Katara, Appa, Sokka, the dying campfire, the fish within the stream, and so much more around him. He also, through use of his Avatar spirit, watched Katara's spirit, the energy within her growing as she pulled at it and gave it strength. He smiled inwardly, knowing she had a good grasp on her chi already, and knew she would be a fine waterbender someday, if not a master.

Finally, Aang decided they had meditated enough, drawing out of his trance and standing to stretch his muscles. He noticed that the sun had completely set by now, and guessed they had been at it for a couple of hours. Katara snapped from hers as well and looked up. "I think I've got it, Aang."

Aang nodded, smiling. "I know you do." He chuckled slightly. "Being the Avatar, I'm especially sensitive to spirits. Yours felt like it was waking up for the first time since birth." He helped her up. "Waterbending is really easy from here on out, at least in principle. It's all about controlling the chi and guiding it throughout the paths in your body, as well as controlling the intensity you direct the chi. You'll learn that, as you control the chi, you can control the water, and how you control your chi is how you control the water."

Katara nodded. "So, since waterbending is graceful, if I use my chi forcefully, it won't produce the desired effect?"

Aang nodded. "Right, actually! If you use quick, but graceful and elegant motions for your body _and_ your chi, the water will respond. As you grow in ability, you'll discover ways to manipulate your chi outside normal waterbending techniques, ways to waterbend aggressively, and with sudden power. That will have to be something you learn on your own. I can't teach you that." He looked at Sokka as the warrior stood watch, a feeling of gratitude welling up inside him. Sokka didn't even ask if they needed a guard, and kept watch without protest. Aang beckoned Katara to follow him back to the campsite and walked up the beach, calling out Sokka's name as he crossed from sand to grass. "Thanks for keeping watch." He bowed, his hands forming a sign of apology. "I'm sorry we took so long."

Sokka chuckled. "It was my pleasure, Aang." He looked at Katara. "Any progress?"

Katara nodded excitedly. "I've discovered my chi, the root of my bending. All I have to do is strengthen it, and waterbending will be within my grasp."

Sokka smiled, genuinely pleased to hear her confidence in waterbending. "That's great! I hope you'll continue to improve."

Aang stepped up to Sokka, noting the man's droopy eyelids. "You should sleep." He turned to Katara. "We all should. We should make it to the Southern Air Temple by tomorrow afternoon, so we have a bit of flying ahead of us. We need to be at our best." The two tribesmen nodded at him, and they each went to their respective beds: Sokka and Katara, their sleeping bags; Aang, Appa. Within moments, all three, exhausted from the day's ordeal, slept.

* * *

The air smelled of salt, and was comfortingly cool against Iroh's skin as the old man leaned over the starboard side of the ship. A breeze tickled his beard and he smiled at the tranquility of the scene as the boat plowed through the waves with the grace of a waterbender.

If only his nephew could appreciate the beauty of the moment. He shook his head, though. The only moment Zuko was devoting attention to was his failure to capture the Avatar. Iroh looked over at his nephew, the twenty-five year old staring out at the ocean from the bow, knowing that the boy was seething with rage at his failure. Iroh walked up to Zuko, putting his hand on the boy's shoulder in empathy.

"Zuko," he began, ignoring the gesture as Zuko shrugged his hand away. "There will be another chance for you to regain your honor."

"That _was_ my chance, Uncle," Zuko shot back venomously. "The Avatar knows we search for him now. He will be on guard. The search just became ten times more difficult." He gritted his teeth. "I should have been more subtle! Trying to plow through the Water Tribe's wall was too reckless!"

Iroh nodded. "True. But now we know who the Avatar is." Zuko turned to Iroh, surprise etched on his face and Iroh laughed. "He is an airbender. Perhaps the last airbender."

"I don't see where that leaves us, Uncle," Zuko said unconvinced.

"It leaves the Avatar little place to hide." Iroh grinned. "Just how many airbenders have we seen in recent years?"

At once, Zuko got it. "None. My great-grandfather wiped them out at the start of the war." He smiled. "Perhaps this has put us farther ahead than I thought."

"Right!" Iroh said, smiling. "There's always a silver lining, nephew!"

Zuko smiled at the thought of finding the Avatar again, but his smile quickly faded as his memories turned to the Avatar's power. "But he's so powerful." Zuko turned to Iroh. "He even defeated you, Uncle." He looked back at the sea, lost in doubt. "Even if I could find him, what chance do we have of defeating such power?"

Iroh sighed as he leaned on the railing, the breeze caressing his face gently. "Prince Zuko, there will be times in your life when you are afraid. You will fear something or someone so greatly, that you will gladly trade your honor and reputation for survival. It may be a person, a battle, it may be your wedding in the future, the birth of your child, it may be another confrontation with the Avatar... It may even be a discovery that could shake the very foundations of your upbringing." He looked at the prince, and Zuko turned to look at his uncle questioningly as Iroh continued. "It is during those times that you truly become your own man. When you make your own decisions despite the fear you feel in your heart. Remember: the only time a man can truly be brave is when he is confronted with his greatest fear."

Zuko shook his head in disbelief. "Why are you telling me this, Uncle?"

Iroh sighed at his nephew's impatience. "I believe you'll need that advice someday."

Whatever Zuko thought to say, Iroh never found out. A soldier interrupted them, informing them of the ship's approach to Zhao Harbor.

"Good," Iroh exclaimed. "We can resupply and continue our search for the Avatar."

Zuko nodded, eyes distant as he remembered the Avatar disabling him a few days ago. He vowed to bring the man to his father's knees, no matter how powerful he was.

Prince Zuko and General Iroh stepped off the ramp onto Zhao Harbor, the port so aptly named after its owner, Captain Zhao. It was a magnificent structure, a bragging right to the Fire Nation on such a fine harbor, but Prince Zuko didn't care for architecture at the moment. He walked off the boat swiftly, making for the VIP tents that were set up for important people—like himself—to wait for their crew to finish business at the harbor. General Iroh followed behind him, old age hampering his ability to keep up. Prince Zuko might have shown compassion to his uncle, had his pride not been burned by the Avatar's escape from his clutches. "Uncle, I want the resupplying finished as soon as possible. I don't want to stay on these docks for too long and risk losing his trail."

"You mean the Avatar, right?" Iroh commented carelessly, his mind preoccupied with the smell his nose detecting coming from the east part of the docks. It smelled of roasted pig…or perhaps beef. He jerked back in surprise as Zuko thrust his face at his, eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Don't mention his name while we're here! I won't have the entire Fire Nation learning of the truth and robbing me of my prize."

"And what prize would that be, Zuko?" a cold voice said from behind them, and Prince Zuko turned to see a stout man walking towards them, clad in the armor of a high-ranking veteran of the war. He was losing his hair, what little he had pulled back into a topknot, and his sideburns were much like his uncle's, extending down to his chin. His eyes, the yellow irises marking him as a Firebender, were as cold and calculating as his voice, and they didn't mask the contempt the man had for Zuko.

"Captain Zhao," Zuko uttered, his voice dripping in condescension.

"Commander, now," Zhao said smugly, smiling a smile that was evil even to Zuko. He looked to Iroh, his face taking on the look of respect as he bowed to the elder man. "And General Iroh, respected hero of our nation."

Iroh bowed back at the man as he answered, "Retired, Commander."

Zhao smiled at Iroh before looking at Zuko. "The Fire Lord's son and brother are welcome guests any time. What brings you to my harbor?"

"Supplies," Iroh said as he waved a robed hand at the ship, where even now, crewmen were disembarking to gather the necessary equipment they would need for another long trek in the ocean. "We were running low on food that didn't squirm when you tried to gut it, so I convinced my nephew here to dock at your harbor." Iroh smiled at Zhao warmly. "I hear your harbor makes a special tea that soothes the bones." Zhao chuckled as he nodded, and Iroh grinned widely. "Might I be so bold as to ask for some?"

Zhao nodded, beckoning the two to follow him. "Of course. I'm sure we have some tea in stock. Perhaps a nice meal to go with your drink while you wait." He looked at Zuko pointedly as he continued. "Maybe we can share stories of our adventures while your ship is resupplied."

Zuko glared at Zhao. "Yes…Perhaps."

* * *

The sun had risen past the treelines by the time the team was ready to depart the campsite. Sokka speared a few more fish to last him and Katara the rest of the journey, and Aang collected enough flora to eat until they reached the temple. As the tribesmen collected their things and put them into Appa's saddle, Aang dispersed the campfire with sandbending. It caught both tribesmen off-guard, with Katara particularly interested in it. Aang simply gestured to the earth in a clutching motion, and the sand rose up and swallowed the campfire, all traces of their being there hidden in the sand.

"That's impressive," Sokka commented. "I've never seen that before. Was that earthbending?"

Aang nodded. "A form of it. Sand is harder to manipulate than solid earth, so I doubt many earthbenders would know it." He smiled. "It took me a few years to truly master it."

Sokka nodded, satisfied, but Katara replied with a question of her own. "Do you know all the bending arts?"

Aang nodded. "I mastered all four bending arts by the time I was sixteen."

Katara's eyes grew wide. "Including firebending?" Aang nodded, and Katara grew concerned. "Isn't that...dangerous?"

Aang shrugged. "All bending is dangerous if used improperly." He began handing Sokka their supplies as Katara simply stared at him. She eventually realized she was staring and, hiding her blush, mounted Appa's saddle. Aang watched her as she settled into the saddle, knowing she would be uncomfortable with firebending for a while, and wondered how he could eventually convince her of firebending's necessity. That, of course, brought on bigger questions for Aang. Was the Fire Nation simply a tool being used by an evil man? Had the entire nation been corrupted? If not, if the race itself was still preserved, then how would he convince the entire world of that? Could he even convince the two people he traveled with of the nation's innocence, simply a people following a corrupt leader?

He pushed the thoughts out of his head for now, content on simply discovering the fate of his people after nearly a hundred years of his absence. Not really content, he thought to himself. More like apprehensive. He jumped onto Appa's head gracefully, grabbing the reigns as he urged the bison forward. "Yip yip!" With a roar, the bison took off into the air, heading for the Southern Air Temple.

They had flown for most of the day, stopping midday near a stream to allow Appa to rest and to practice on Katara's waterbending. Aang continued to have her meditate on her chi, but began to teach her the basics of waterbending. "It's all in the sway of the hips and the arms." He showed her, swaying his hips as he waved his arms fluidly. "The hips swaying make the torso follow, and the entire fluidity of the motion feels natural." Katara practiced with the few forms he had taught her, noticing with excitement that the water was responding to her movements. Aang only stopped their lessons when Katara could twirl water around her with a spin, before shooting the water at him with a thrust of her hand. "That's enough for today. You're really getting the hang of this." He smiled at her as he waterbent the water into their waterskins before depositing the rest in Appa's mouth, the bison growling its approval. "If I wasn't so rushed to get to my home, I'd practice more with you."

Katara smiled as she replaced her clothes, leaving the anorak in the saddle in favor of her blue short-sleeved kimono. "No, it's fine. That's more important than waterbending right now." She finished tying her sash around her waist as Aang also finished tying his, having replaced all his clothes as well. She thrust her feet through her mukluks as Aang walked up to her, crouching down to her level.

"I want to thank you for coming with me," he said. "If my people are truly gone…" he stopped, and Katara placed a hand on his arm.

"We'll find out when we get there." She had put on both boots and stood, pulling him up. "It's best not to think about it right now."

Aang looked down on her, the airbender standing a few inches taller than her, and nodded. "Perhaps it is." He gently pulled his hands away from hers and the three friends mounted Appa, taking off into the air again. The next time they stopped was at the Southern Air Temple, the structure still as magnificent as Aang remembered it. They passed the Patola Mountain Range before the temple came within view, and when it did, all three, even Aang, found their breath caught in their throat.

"Wow…" Katara whispered, and Aang felt himself puff up with pride at her awed expression. "This is your home?"

Aang nodded. "This is it. The Southern Air Temple."

The Southern Air Temple was a magnificent structure built on the carved-out space of a mountain. Blue, elaborately decorated spires stretched into the sky, and a huge, winding road was carved out of the mountain itself leading to the facility, but most of the structure was hidden beneath parts of mountain, the temple having been built into the mountainside for protection as well as camouflage. Aang felt a pang of heartache as he saw the facility, knowing that, even if Katara and Sokka were wrong and his people had survived, it was doubtful any of his friends would be alive. Even Monk Gayatso would have passed by now. Aang sighed fearfully as Appa flew closer, the bison remembering home when he saw it. The bison flew over the temple as he made his way to the stables, Aang needing not direct him, and Aang looked down across the open parts of the temple to see that not a single person was visible. Discouraged, he returned his gaze to the front, waiting for Appa to land. He felt a hand on his shoulder and knew it was Katara, smiling with gratitude at the waterbender's continued support.

Appa landed among the stables, rock pillars separating the stalls that the bison would lay in, and in one instant, Aang knew that Katara and Sokka were right.

The stable was filled with skeletons of humans and bison alike. Aang gasped, his eyes wide as he looked among the stables, every skeleton bringing further pain to his heart. Appa howled and moaned uncomfortably, knowing the skeletons for what they were. The bison backed away from the scene, eyes wild with fright, and Aang snapped from his trance to reign in the bison with whispers of encouragement. The airbender leapt off the bison, landing with feline grace and simply stared at the scene, unable to believe what he was seeing. Katara and Sokka were right. The Fire Nation had wiped out his people. The bones of the bison and people were blackened, as if burned by an incredible heat, and as Aang looked, he saw more skeletons outfitted in rusting armor that looked like the uniform of Fire Nation soldiers from his time. His vision blurred as tears welled up in his eyes, and he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Sokka standing there, the warrior's eyes somber and understanding.

"We've seen enough if you'd like to leave."

Aang shook his head. "No. I have to see everything." He turned back to the stables, taking a deep breath. "I have to see what has happened to my people. I have to see the extent of the crime the Fire Nation committed against my people."

"Aang," Katara said, walking up beside him. "Are you sure? It may only cause you more pain."

Aang nodded. "I know. But I have to see." He walked forward without waiting for a response, and the two tribesmen followed him silently, afraid to say anything.

The three walked the temple corridors at Aang's pace, skeletons of fallen airbenders littering the floor. Their positioning gave insight into their final moments. Some hugged each other, some looked as if they were running from something, some looked as if they had been blown back by some force. As they continued, Katara noticed a horrifying sight that she at once hoped Aang had missed: some walls were blackened as if by fire, a silhouette of a human form burned into the wall. Some forms looked as if they were cringing in terror, hands up in a futile defense against an enemy's onslaught. Aang's gaze lingered on every skeleton that he passed, but he never once stared at the walls, and Katara silently prayed he wouldn't notice.

Aang finally stopped at the foot of a statue of a man, and Katara guessed he knew him by the way Aang looked longingly at the statue. "Who's this?" Katara asked.

"This was my mentor," Aang said. "Monk Gayatso. Since I didn't know my real parents, he was a father figure to me." Aang smiled sadly. "He taught me everything I know, from martial arts to airbending to making fruit pies." Aang pondered at some memory of his past, and Katara and Sokka could only guess what he was remembering. Aang turned to them, eyes distant. "He was the second strongest airbender in the world at the time."

"Who was the strongest?" Katara asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

Aang looked at her. "I was. I am…" He looked down at nothing, his mind elsewhere for a time, before eventually looking back up and beckoning the two to follow him. "I have to see one more thing." The two didn't ask, merely following the airbender as the man walked through the evidence of his people's genocide, staying strong for the sake of the world in light of the overwhelming sadness threatening to break him down.

* * *

"And by year's end, the Earth Kingdom capital, Ba Sing Se, will be under the Fire Lord's rule." Commander Zhao turned to look at his two guests, proud of the victory planned for the Fire Nation. The battle plans were largely his brainchild. He was honored the Fire Lord had given it great consideration and had decided to use it as the winning strategy. He wondered how it felt for the prince to see that a commander's voice was louder to the Fire Lord than his own son's.

As he thought, Prince Zuko hated the plan. "If my father thinks that the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." Zuko turned his gaze to Zhao as the man smiled smugly at the prince's outburst. "And you are a fool for believing that Ba Sing Se will fall so easily. The wall has only been breached once, and then it took a man more capable than you."

Zhao frowned as Iroh smiled, the statement an insult for the former and a compliment for the latter. "Ten years at sea have done little to temper your tongue." Zhao glared at Zuko as the latter refused to comment, simply content to drink his tea. Eventually, Zhao smiled coldly. "So, how goes your search for the Avatar? Any luck?"

"We haven't found him," Zuko answered dejectedly, and Zhao smiled evilly at Zuko's failure.

"Did you really expect to? The Avatar has been dead for over one hundred years, along with the rest of the airbenders." He didn't miss Zuko's thoughtful look at the mention of this, and Zhao considered the prince more carefully. "Unless you've found some evidence that confirms the Avatar is still alive…?"

Just as expected, the prince shook his head. "No. I'm beginning to think this errand Father sent me on years ago was simply to remove me from his presence entirely."

Zhao shook his head as he stood. "Perhaps. But that doesn't change anything. The Avatar is the only being capable of stopping the Fire Nation from ruling the world." He leaned in closer to Zuko, his voice dangerous as he continued. "If you have an _ounce_ of loyalty left to your nation, you'll tell me what you've found."

Zuko glared at Zhao as he replied, "I haven't found_ anything_." He stood, his face a foot from Zhao's as he wordlessly challenged him to deny his claim. "It's like you said. The Avatar must have died a long time ago." Zuko and Zhao held each other's gaze for a moment before Zuko stepped away, beckoning his uncle to follow. Even as he did so, Zhao noticed a soldier had entered the confines of the tent and was awaiting an opportunity to report to him. Zuko neither noticed nor cared as he looked at Iroh. "C'mon Uncle. We're leaving. The crew has had plenty of time to resupply." As he made to pass between the guards flanking the tent flaps, they crossed lances, refusing him passage. The soldier took this as the opportunity to address Zhao.

"Commander Zhao, we've interrogated the crew as you instructed." Zhao smiled coldly as he noticed Zuko's eyes widened. The soldier continued. "They confirmed the Avatar is alive. Prince Zuko and General Iroh attempted to apprehend the Avatar, but he was too strong. He overwhelmed eight firebenders, including the general and the prince, before disabling their ship long enough to escape."

At this, Zhao frowned. He had been expecting a blunder on the prince's part, but the prince had apparently come through. At least, he had attempted to capture the Avatar. And Iroh was still a respected member of the royal family, as well as one of the most powerful firebenders alive. If he was unable to stop the Avatar, perhaps Zhao could work with them to find and disable the Avatar next time. It would benefit him if he did so, as he would gain favor with the prince in the event the Fire Lord allowed him to return home, and if he failed, he could blame the prince for their failure.

Zhao looked to Zuko as the prince's shoulders slouched. "There's no shame in admitting defeat, young prince. A wise man knows his limits. A stronger man exceeds them so he will not lose a second time." The prince looked at Zhao as the latter gestured for him to sit. "If you are to have any hope of capturing the Avatar, you'll need more men than your ship currently holds. And I'm ready to offer my services to bring this criminal under heel to save our great nation, and to restore your honor."

* * *

Aang stared silently at the skeleton in front of him, his eyes not wanting to see, but his mind already having made the connection. The skeleton had tattered remains of airbender robes draped across its bones, but the one artifact that marked the identity of the remains was the necklace that was hung around the shoulders. Called a "Mala," it was a string of beads the Head Monk would use to count prayers during the Morning Meditation with all the airbender students of the monastery. In the middle of the beads hung a wooden circle, the airbender symbol painted on the front. Seeing the mala, Aang knew who this was.

Gayatso.

The skeletal remains of the head monk of the monastery was surrounded with the skeletons of Fire Nation soldiers, great rents in their armor. Aang knew that, though Gayatso had valued life above all else, he had killed these men in the interest of preserving the Air Nomads. Though the firebenders were made extraordinarily strong because of the comet, Gayatso had taken at least a dozen or more soldiers with him before he succumbed to their attacks. Aang allowed himself to feel a small amount of pride at that, but that pride was soon overwhelmed with an incredible sadness that his friend and mentor had died in battle rather than of old age, as he always suspected he would. Even worse, Aang hadn't been able to stop it. If he had been here instead of on an ambassadorial trip to the Southern Water Tribe, he might have been able to stop this war in the very beginning.

Though sadness threatened to overwhelm him, he forced his feelings down, knowing that though Gayatso and the other airbenders were gone, they had gone on to a better place, watching over him from the Spirit Realm. He smiled at the memories he and Gayatso had shared, resolving to remember those memories in place of this sight. Aang picked his way across the skeletal remains of the Fire Nation soldiers, making his way to his mentor's corpse as Katara and Sokka watched in sadness. The airbender knelt at the remains of the Head Monk, bowing his head and forming a sign of eternal respect with his hands. He uttered a short, Air Nomad prayer before gently removing the mala from around Gayatso's neck. "I will represent our people as you would have, mentor," Aang said, bowing his head in deference again before rising and walking back to the two Water Tribesmen. He stopped before them, staring at the mala for a moment before placing around his neck. He looked at both of them as he sighed sadly. "I suppose I truly am the last of the airbenders." Though he controlled his sorrow, a single tear escaped his eyes, sliding down his cheek.

Katara, on instinct, wrapped Aang in an embrace, one the airbender returned with fervor. "I'm sorry," was all she said, knowing there wasn't anything to say. Sokka placed his hand on Aang's shoulder to show support for the airbender, and Aang pulled away from Katara, nodding at both of them with gratitude.

"I'm thankful for your support." He sighed. "There's nothing for me here now." He looked back at Gayatso before turning to Katara and Sokka. "Let's go. I've seen enough of this place." The three returned to Appa, the sky bison readily accepting them on his back before turning to take off into the air. As they left behind the Southern Air Temple, Aang looked back one more time, knowing he wouldn't return home for a long time. As the temple faded from view, he turned back to steering Appa, his thoughts lingering on the Fire Nation. What they had done, his inner self screamed for vengeance. But another part of him knew he should forgive. An Avatar bent on hatred wouldn't bring balance back to the world. And there was every possibility the nation itself was innocent, acting only under the rule of a corrupt Fire Lord. Aang resolved to discover the truth behind the Fire Nation's sudden and violent transformation since he last knew them. He would restore the balance.

No matter the cost.


	3. Chapter 3: The Warriors of Kyoshi

**BOOK 1: WATER  
**_CHAPTER 3_

**The Warriors of Kyoshi**

* * *

Prince Zuko sat meditating in his personal chambers, the room dark save for four candles placed on the table he was facing. He breathed in and out, the flames growing or shrinking with his breath, as he cleared his mind of distractions. He was trying to shake the excitement he felt at knowing Commander Zhao fully planned to support his attack on the Avatar. It made him much more confident about his chances. In the back of his mind, he knew the commander had some sort of ulterior motive, but he felt no need to address it now. It would surface when the commander thought the time was right. Zuko would deal with it then. For now, he would simply take advantage of the opportunity the commander had given him. All he needed to do now was wait. The Avatar couldn't hide forever. When he surfaced again, Zuko would be there.

He heard the door open and knew it was his uncle with the daily report about the Avatar's whereabouts. For two weeks, there had been no sighting of the Avatar, even though the Fire Nation occupied most of the world at this time. Zuko controlled his anger at the thought of the Avatar hiding, turning that anger into power. It fueled his abilities greatly. One day he would unleash that rage and frustration, and the Avatar would have to contend with such power.

"What news, Uncle?" Zuko broke the silence.

"I'm sorry, nephew," Iroh said quietly, and Zuko knew what was to come. "There's still been no sighting."

Zuko held in a sigh and nodded. "Tell the men I appreciate their continued diligence." He left it at that, content to meditate to suppress this newfound rage he knew was building within him.

Instead of leave, as he had done so many times before, his uncle closed the door to the room and came up beside him, kneeling at the table. "You're handling this well, Prince Zuko. It is the mark of a great leader."

Zuko shook his head. "No. A great leader wouldn't have spoken against his superior as I did. Worse, I didn't fight back to defend my honor." He closed his eyes. "There is nothing great about me."

Iroh laid a hand on Zuko's shoulder, and Zuko thought about shrugging it off. He relented, though, content with the support his uncle had shown him all these years. "I think you will find that you are a greater man than your father ever could be."

Zuko scoffed. "Doubtful. My father is about to bring the entire world under heel. All I've done is been an embarrassment, absent from my own soon-to-be-kingdom for most of my teenage years."

"Prince Zuko," Iroh asserted. "You will find that a peacemaker is more powerful than a conqueror. A peacemaker profits from the willingness of his subjects. A conqueror only profits so long as fear is the primary ingredient of his rule. And fear will soon turn to hatred, which always ends in bloodshed." Iroh stood as quickly as he had come, and Zuko suspected all Iroh wanted to do was to impart some wisdom to him, wisdom that Zuko had long let go unappreciated. "I hope," Iroh continued, "you will be a peacemaker, able to bring about a type of prosperity so great, your father had no hope of doing it." As Zuko considered Iroh's words, and as he thought about voicing his own opinion, the sound of the door opening and closing marked the dismissal of his uncle. Zuko stared at the flames, wondering just what his uncle had meant, wondering if he were truly able to be a greater Fire Lord than his father. If he were able to surpass his father not through conquest, but through peace.

* * *

Aang, Sokka, and Katara had been flying the world for several weeks, making stops in secluded places along the way to resupply and to rejuvenate. Each night was the same for the three: they would set up camp, find and prepare food, and then Katara and Aang would practice waterbending until nightfall. As the sun fell, the three would practice martial arts, with Aang reiterating how important it was that a bender could defend themselves in the event they couldn't bend their element to fight. As they settled in for the night, Aang and Katara often found themselves talking well into the night. Sokka was always quick to sleep, but both benders had so much on their mind that sleep eluded them. In that time, Aang and Katara learned much about the other. Katara learned of Aang's disciplined upbringing, and about how his entire upbringing was shattered when introduced to other lifestyles. She learned of his mastery of airbending at twelve years old, and how he felt when he was told he was the Avatar at sixteen years old. She listened as he told her his life's story from traveling to the Southern Water Tribe to learn waterbending, to traveling to the very Fire Nation she feared, learning firebending from an old, but wise teacher. He talked of the sights, of the things he learned from both the places and the people, of the few duties he had performed as the Avatar before he had been caught out at sea, up until that very day when he was forced underwater during a storm.

Katara herself talked about her life at a very young age, learning of her waterbending abilities at the age of five. She spoke of her mother with pride, regret hollowing her voice as she told of the raid that took her mother away from her, and recounted her life after the raid. Her father sailed away when she was fourteen, leaving her brother in charge of the village, and about how she took it upon herself to help her brother. She spoke of the few adventures she had had with her brother, from getting lost in a blizzard to fighting off a polar bear that threatened to eat the village's entire stock of frozen fish.

When they weren't talking about themselves or each other, they simply talked. There wasn't a conversation under the moon they didn't talk about. From a wishful view of the fight at the Fire Nation to what it would be like to be a parent, both simply talked. Katara had had very few friends at the Southern Water Tribe. Most of the people she talked with were much older than her, and so she rarely was able to speak her own mind. Aang had lost all of his friends, and clung desperately to the two friendships he had made since waking up, but Katara and he were fast becoming true friends. He found he could speak to her about things even the Head Monks wouldn't listen to, and she understood more. The monks had been raised in a secluded lifestyle all their lives. Their outlooks on some of the issues Aang found himself living in were narrow at best. It worked for them, but their answers never seemed to satisfy him. Talking with Katara opened up new ways of thinking for him, and he found himself desiring to talk with her more and more.

Aside from getting to know each other, the group made good time flying. Appa was well trained, and flew without much trouble for much of the day. Aang always set him down to rest at midday, and never flew longer than the sun took to reach the horizon. He recognized the land as they traveled ever closer to the North Pole, and knew that he was in familiar territory. On one particular day, as he neared the island he remembered from childhood, Aang decided it would be a good opportunity to land for lunch, the body of land secluded from any other landmass for miles by ocean.

Kyoshi Island.

"Back when I was twelve, I used to attend festivals here on Kyoshi Island. The Kyoshi people were particularly adept at dancing, and it was really fun to try and match steps with them." Aang looked at Katara and Sokka as he smiled. "I may not look it, but being an airbender makes me a pretty good dancer." He looked back at the island as Appa approached the beach on the crescent part of the island. "An airbender and a Kyoshi warrior were quite a duo on the dance floor."

"Sounds like fun," Sokka said. "We had dances at different festivals at the South Pole. Many were traditional, and were required for the festival, but some were just plain fun to dance." He looked at Katara. "Katara's a pretty good dancer. Maybe you two should dance together and show each other your moves." He smiled as Katara blushed.

Whether Aang understood the insinuation or not, he didn't show it. He smiled good-naturedly at Katara as he nodded. "We ought to sometime. Since you know waterbending basics now, that would probably make you a better dancer than you were before."

"Yeah," Katara agreed hesitantly. "It probably would." She glared at Sokka as her brother smiled.

Aang ignored the two in favor of guiding Appa down onto the beach, where the bison made a soft landing before the airbender jumped to the ground. He fell into the usual routine of catching the tribesmen's belongings as they threw them down to him before they jumped down themselves, and then helped them set up camp. Aang decided on the beach being their campsite, where Katara and he could practice waterbending, but made it known that he wanted to explore the island a little to see if the Kyoshi civilization had met the same fate as the Air Nomads.

"We won't stay long," he assured. "I just want to see if the Kyoshi escaped the war or not."

Sokka and Katara nodded, okay with the plan. "Maybe I can meet these warriors," Sokka said, the prospect of meeting another warrior of a different culture exciting.

Aang nodded. "It would be an educational meeting, to be sure. The Kyoshi warriors are some of the finest warriors I've seen. I don't think they would succumb to the Fire Nation so easily." He finished unpacking their gear and stood, stretching. Pulling Katara to the water's edge, the two practiced waterbending for a couple of hours as Sokka fished and gathered flora. In that time, Katara excelled greatly, learning basic forms and moving on to more advanced waterbending techniques. Aang was greatly pleased with the speed in which she learned; he had to merely demonstrate a form once, and Katara mimicked it perfectly.

"I think you'll be a master waterbender soon, Katara," Aang assured as they both replaced their clothes.

"I don't know about that," Katara said, blushing slightly from the compliment, "but I like it all the same. The water whip was particularly fun."

Aang agreed as they hiked back to the campsite, fish already being cooked by Sokka. "I found some berries and nuts in the forest further inland," Sokka said, tending to the fish cooking over a spit. "I didn't know if any of them weren't edible or not so I picked plenty of different kinds."

Aang nodded, pleased. "Thanks Sokka. I don't remember any poisonous berries on Kyoshi Island last time I was here, so they should be fine." They sat around the campfire, Aang diving into his food while Katara waited for Sokka to finish cooking the fish. Eventually, all three leaned back, sighing with contentment at the feeling of full stomachs.

Finally, Aang stood and stretched. "It'll take a few hours for Appa to sleep. He seemed pretty tired. Might as well search Kyoshi Island and work off that food." He looked at the two. "Either of you coming?"

Both nodded. "Sure," Sokka said, stamping out the campfire. "Hey Aang, do your little earthbending trick again."

Aang nodded and waved his arms like a gyeser, arms parallel and hands outstretched towards the sky. Clutching both hands, he pulled his arms down, and the sand around the campfire sucked it down into itself.

"That's still really cool," Sokka said, packing everything up and throwing it into Appa's saddle. "Will Appa be alright here?" The bison was fast asleep and Sokka doubted he would be pleased to be woken up only to have to walk through a forest.

"Yeah," Aang said. "Appa's tough. The only thing that should be here are wild animals and Kyoshi people. Appa can take wild animals, and the Kyoshi people should recognize him as a sky bison. He'll be fine."

The three walked through the forests at a leisurely pace, the two tribesmen trusting Aang's instincts and memories of this place to keep them from getting lost. The airbender himself didn't remember this part of the forest, but continued on in spite of this. The Kyoshi villages were generally at the heart of the island. If they walked in a straight line, they would eventually find something. Whether it was a village or a graveyard, Aang didn't know. But he would find out.

They had walked for only five minutes before Aang sensed something was wrong. He stopped suddenly, looking amongst the trees for anything unusual, causing the two tribesmen to do the same.

"What is it, Aang?" Katara asked.

"Don't you feel it?" he asked quietly, eyes searching the treetops.

"The feeling of being watched?" Sokka said, and Aang nodded.

Suddenly, and without warning, figures dropped from the trees. It was as if they peeled from the trees themselves, they were hidden so perfectly. Sokka readied himself, having forgotten his club with Appa, and Katara surrounded herself with water from her waterskin, new to combat as a waterbender, but willing to defend herself. Aang, though, hesitated as he recognized the warriors instantly.

They wore green kimonos under what seemed to be leather armor. They had elaborate, golden headbands and shocking white face paint, with ebony eyeliner and red paint under their brows. Each held a fierce gaze reminiscent of Kyoshi herself, and Aang knew these women were as deadly as they were beautiful.

He had no fear, though. These were friends. The Kyoshi people had been friends of the Air Nomads for as long as Aang could remember. As soon as he identified himself, they would stand down.

Aang turned to tell Katara and Sokka to stand down, that these women meant them no harm. Before he could get the words out of his mouth, however, he felt a jolt along his spine that wasn't painful, only extremely numbing. Surprised, Aang gasped as he felt more jolts along his body, each jolt rendering part of his body numb. A final jolt landed at the base of his skull, and he knew no more.

* * *

Katara watched Aang fall, fear gripping her stomach as the Avatar slumped to the ground like a sack of rocks. "Aang!" She glared at the warrior that had attacked him, moving through the motions Aang had taught her, thrusting her water at the enemy aggressively. Surprised, the warrior was knocked back several feet by the water whip, and Katara smiled at her momentary victory before turning back to the others.

The warriors circled her, each lowered into a martial arts stance as they watched Katara warily. Katara saw it before they struck; a sudden look between them, some sort of signal. With a quick motion, she snapped the whip at one of the warriors, who effortlessly dodged it, before bringing the water back to her as she looked for another attacker. Immediately she knew it was a feint, suddenly feeling an impact against her arm that left it numb and useless. Even as her mind registered that it was under attack, she felt a pop at the back of her head and fell unconscious.

* * *

Both Aang and Katara had fallen, leaving Sokka to fight over a dozen of these mysterious warriors. Clutching his fists tightly, Sokka waited, watching as the women circled him before one attacked. Hearing her from behind, Sokka dodged by twirling to the right, circling an arm around her neck as he did so to bring her into a headlock. Using her momentum against her, he drove his knee into her face, knocking her back. He quickly turned back to the battle to see two warriors rush him from his left and right. He jumped, kicking his legs out and catching one woman in the chest. The other dodged, sending a fist flying at his torso. Even as he descended to the earth, however, his hand was there to catch hers. Surprised, she hesitated as he landed and he used that time to pop a hand on her elbow, breaking the joint. He slung her behind him into another warrior, sending them to the ground and turned to look for another combatant. At once, the warriors stepped away while one warrior stepped closer, hands held in front of her in a traditional stance. She had short, brown hair, and glared at him with the piercing gaze of a hawk.

The two circled each other for a time before Sokka launched into an attack. The mysterious woman countered his assault, striking back as the opportunities became available, and the two moved as an unmatchable fury, countering and striking out with the speed of master martial artists. If Sokka weren't so afraid for his life, he would have admitted his enjoyment over the fight. The woman and he were evenly matched, and neither could get past the other's defenses. Finally, Sokka detached himself from the fight, jumping back and bringing up his hands in a defensive stance. The woman made no move to continue the attack, merely watching him as he fought to catch his breath. He noticed she wasn't even panting, and wondered if she had really been trying or not. "Why are you doing this?" he asked. "We haven't done anything to you." He waited for a reply but received none. "If you won't explain your attack on my friends, then I ask that you simply finish it!" With a cry, he lunged at the woman, who blocked his attacks effortlessly. Suddenly, and without warning, he felt a pop at the base of his skull and knew another warrior had rejoined the fight. As he blacked out, he felt hands grab him and gently lead him to the ground. The last face he saw was that of the warrior that had fought him in single-combat.

* * *

When Aang came to, it was to a massive headache. As he returned from the haze of unconsciousness, he felt that he couldn't move his arms or legs. He looked down and noticed immediately that he was tied to a post, and that Katara and Sokka were tied up next to him. As he looked up in shock to gain an understanding of his surroundings, and perhaps his predicament, he noticed the Kyoshi warriors staring at him from a safe distance, the women looking out of place in his situation. They looked like dancers, not warriors, but he knew they were the reason he was tied up. "Kyoshi warriors," he said. "We mean you no harm."

Some of the warriors' eyes widened at the mention of their names. Others narrowed. None spoke, though they parted to allow someone through their ranks. Aang saw that it was an older man, dressed in blue robes and sporting a thick, gray beard. He didn't appear to be happy.

He stared at Aang for a time, and Aang thought to say something, but didn't know what to say. Finally, the two tribesmen stirred, and the older man began to speak. "You three have some explaining to do."

Sokka looked around, grimacing at the sight of having been captured. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked.

"What's going on?" Katara asked, still weary from unconsciousness. She looked around before trying to move. Her hands didn't budge.

"Why have you come here?" the elder asked harshly. "Why do you trespass on our lands?"

Aang answered before anyone else could speak. "My name is Aang, of the Air Nomads. I came seeking the Kyoshi people -"

"Impossible! Air Nomads have been extinct for a hundred years!" The elder waved his explanation aside. "You're obviously a Fire Nation spy, sent here to scout our defenses." He furrowed his brow. "As you can see, they are adequate. The Fire Nation will never take Kyoshi Island!"

"Wait! I'm not a spy!" Aang yelled. "I'm the Avatar!"

"Preposterous!" a Kyoshi warrior refuted. "The Avatar died with the airbenders. You're nothing but a fake. You couldn't even airbend to save yourself against us."

Aang glared at her as the elder man turned to the women. "It is safer to kill them. Finish them off and dump their bodies in the sea for the Unagi to feast on." The elder made to walk away as the women approached, knives drawn.

At once, Aang's eyes and tattoos glowed a brilliant white, halting the women in their tracks as they stared at him in awe. "Warriors of Kyoshi! You stand before the Avatar, reincarnation of Kyoshi herself!" As he spoke, the ground thundered, and everyone listening felt chills as a thousand voices spoke at once through the Avatar. "Stand down! Or face the power of untold millennia!"

It was as if every warrior had been struck at once. As one, they fell to their knees, weapons dropped as they raised their hands to show that they were unarmed. The old man had turned back and was staring in awe at the glowing man, and as the Avatar turned his piercing gaze to him, he also fell to his knees. "Please Avatar! We didn't know! We were only seeking to protect our homes!"

As suddenly as it had come, the glow ceased and Aang fell out of the Avatar state. Everyone regarded him silently, afraid of what he would do. They were surprised, then, when he smiled. "Do you mind untying us now?"

* * *

For the twenty-first time, Aang accepted the apology of the village elder, Oyaji, laughing at the man's terrified sincerity. He had assured he meant no harm, and that he only would have disabled the warriors had it come to a fight. He understood their intentions were only to protect themselves, and was quick to forgive them. That didn't satisfy the elder, however, who insisted a feast be held and celebrations conducted for the return of the Avatar. Aang had told them they really didn't have the time, but the look on Sokka and Katara's faces at the prospect of resting for a few days after weeks of flight convinced him to make time. He brought Appa to the village and, after finding a place for the bison at a villager's barn, settled in for a few days.

The preparations for the festival were already under way, and soon Aang found himself relaxing and looking forward to the celebrations. Oyaji had promised three nights of festivities, to include feasting, gaming, dancing, and sparring. As an apology to the three for the rude greeting they were shown, he demanded they relax, and leave the preparations to his village. During the day, the group spent time amongst the locals of the village.

Aang played with the children, showing a surprisingly vulnerable side to the Avatar that no one, including Katara or Sokka, suspected existed. Aside from dedicating time to the children of the village, Aang spent his day meditating, practicing waterbending with Katara, or talking with the elders of the village, the latter taking a special delight in such a young person's interest in their wellbeing. He would listen for hours to stories or about the history of the Kyoshi people, often without speaking, drinking in the knowledge the elders offered.

Katara spent time with the mothers of the village as Aang looked after the children. Having lost her own mother, she had grown up much faster than other girls, and connected with the older women more than women her own age. They spoke of knitting, of clothing, of cooking, of the children, of married life (in Katara's case, her desires of married life), and many other things.

Sokka, surprisingly, spent time amongst the Kyoshi warriors, the ladies spending their day training rigorously in a dojo at the edge of the village. He had initially wanted to apologize to the warriors for the injuries he had inflicted earlier that day, but got more out of the visit than he had suspected.

Sokka ascended the steps to the dojo at the edge of the village, hearing the unified voices of the Kyoshi as they practiced a strict regimen. He stopped at the doorframe, unsure of how to interrupt them to simply apologize, seeing as they were incredibly in tune with their training. The women were practicing their punches and kicks, moving from one stance to another with a rigid grace that Sokka found very attractive. Though they were into their training, they were impressively alert, as the women almost stopped at once to gaze at the newcomer darkening their doorstep.

Suddenly feeling awkward, Sokka hesitated before bowing at the women. "Forgive me for interrupting," he started. "I simply wanted to apologize for my actions yesterday. My name is Sokka, of the Southern Water Tribe. I injured two of your number and, looking at my situation now, feel shame at having attacked them as I did." He rose from his bow and looked at the woman standing at the front of the dojo, obviously the leader. He could barely tell, what with the makeup and all, but he was almost positive it was the woman he had fought on equal ground with yesterday, both unable to overwhelm the other. "I was wondering how the two women I injured were doing, and if there was anything I could do to help."

The Kyoshi warriors showed no emotion on their faces, the painted visage a mask of indifference as they regarded him. The leader, the one he tangled with yesterday, stepped forward and stopped in front of him, one hand hanging limply by her side, the other resting on a katana dangling at her hip. Sokka noticed the casual resting of the hand, inwardly preparing himself. He didn't think she had a reason to use it, but the fact that her hand was near her katana made him wary.

The leader suddenly spoke. "There's nothing to be sorry for," she said, a small smile forming on her lips. "You fought honorably, and proved your skills to us in combat. My girls learned much just from that quick battle, some more than others." She chuckled slightly. "And the Avatar came by earlier to heal the women you injured with waterbending. They are back to training," she swept a hand to the girls at the dojo, and two women waved cheerfully at Sokka. The tribesman waved back, his eyebrow cocked in confusion.

"Avatar Aang healed them?" He crossed his arms. "I didn't know waterbending could heal."

The leader shrugged. "It apparently can. He used water from the well, fitting it to his hands like gloves and running them over their injuries. Roka's arm was healed, and Glora regrew her teeth."

Sokka nodded, still feeling shame but also sensing the warriors' forgiveness. "Very well. If there is anything I can do to repay you for my transgressions, you need but ask." He bowed to the leader and to the warriors before turning to leave.

"Actually," the leader's voice stopped him, and he turned. "There is something I think you could help us with."

Sokka nodded, turning and giving his full attention to the warrior. "Name it."

The leader smiled. "You displayed a form of combat we've never seen before. Most of us have only faced each other, or those from the Fire Nation. It would be interesting to fight a Water Tribesman, if you think you can handle us."

Sokka smiled as he nodded. "I don't know, but I'd like to find out." He followed the woman back inside, taking his place next to the leader at the front of the dojo.

"Girls, I think you all remember how Sokka fought us in the forest, right?" The leader got several nods, some with smiles, as the girls all looked at Sokka. "We've never seen that type of fighting before, so I was thinking perhaps Sokka could train with us for a while. It'd be good to have another fighting style under our belt, and perhaps we can show Sokka a thing or two about how Kyoshi fight." The girls giggled at the leader's words, and she turned to Sokka. "I'm Suki. I lead the Kyoshi warriors during training exercises and sparring." She pointed out each of the Kyoshi warriors in turn, naming each one for Sokka's benefit. Roka and Glora both smiled sweetly at Sokka, waving at him as Suki mentioned their names, and Sokka couldn't help but blush, thankful Suki continued past both girls without comment.

"Now that you've met the group, we'll show you a few things about the Kyoshi fighting style." Suki spread her feat in an unknown stance, and Sokka did the same, positioning his arms as Suki had hers.

"You practice in that armor?" Sokka asked.

Suki nodded. "Of course. It's in our armor that we'll fight our enemies. Best to learn how to fight in it."

Sokka nodded, understanding her answer. "Just how heavy is it?"

Suki dropped her stance as she pulled at Sokka's own clothing. "Heavier than this, by far."

Sokka nodded again before asking, "Would it be possible for me to try on some armor then? I've never battled with armor, but I can see the advantages of wearing it." Suki looked at the other warriors, and Sokka noticed an uncomfortable shift in the air as Suki looked back at him. He held up his hand. "Unless it's a problem, of course." He waved his previous question aside, settling in a stance again. "Nevermind, I don't want to be disrespectful. I didn't know it was a big deal."

Suki shook her head. "No, don't worry about it. The robes are really the big deal. The armor is just protection. The kimono has special meaning behind it and can only be worn by a Kyoshi warrior." She shrugged. "We can get you some armor if you want, right girls?" The women nodded their general assent, and Suki beckoned Sokka to follow her. "Continue your drills, girls. We'll be right back."

Sokka followed Suki down a short hall and into a dressing room, stalls lining the walls, with cubbyholes for the girls' things in each stall. A short aclove was set in one wall, armor and kimonos lining the width of it hanging from a metal bar. Suki grabbed a chestplate and walked up to Sokka, the tribesman holding his arms forward. "So, Sokka of the Watertribe," she said as she slid the armor onto his chest, "how does a tribesman like yourself end up traveling with the Avatar?"

Sokka shrugged. "It was an accident, really. My sister and I were fishing out at sea when we got stranded. We were actually preparing to die when we saw the Avatar rise up from the ocean, completely encased in ice." He grunted as she tied the armor in place, and continued. "I really don't know what we were hoping to accomplish, but we tried to dig him out. He broke free all by himself, though, and gave us a lift back to our village on his sky bison."

"Sky bison?" Suki questioned as she tied gauntlets to his arms.

"Yeah, Appa." He smiled at her. "Didn't you see him? Aang brought him into the village earlier today."

Suki shook her head. "No. We Kyoshi train for most of the day in the dojo. And to be honest, we were still a little embarrassed from attacking the Avatar. I guess you could say we were hiding." Sokka laughed with Suki before she asked, "What does Appa look like?"

"A big furry creature with six legs, a loud roar, and he can fly."

"Huh," Suki said, finishing with his armor. "I can't wait to meet him." She put her hands on her hips. "So what are you doing with the Avatar now? Does he have a plan to defeat the Fire Nation?"

Sokka shrugged. "We're traveling to the Northern Water Tribe. Aang wants to talk with each nation to get their support in his eventual assault against the Fire Nation. We're going with him as a sort of escort."

"Just the three of you?" she asked, incredulous.

Sokka nodded. "It's not that difficult. We don't stay in one place for too long, and we mostly fly on Appa to make good time. We haven't run into trouble yet."

Still unbelieving, Suki only nodded before she beckoned to him and walked back to the corridor. "C'mon. We'll see what you can do."

* * *

Katara hummed a lullaby her grandmother would sing to her, the soothing song a comfort to her as she picked fruits from the trees of the forest near the village. The circle of ladies she had befriended were helping prepare for the first day of the feast, and she had volunteered to assist them with their task by gathering the ingredients they would need for the food. She had been at the task for a few hours, and was almost done gathering everything they would need. The sky was darkening, and the ladies would begin cooking soon, inspiring Katara to finish quickly. She picked one last fruit from the tree and placed in into her basket before turning for the cliffs. The last item she needed was a flower, Ander's Shale, that grew only on the cliffs. The pollen from the plant was unusual in that it added spice to foods it was mixed with. Katara had tasted a portion of it and found that it was delicious, and looked forward to the feast itself all the more.

She stepped up to the cliffs, standing over a hundred feet over the ocean, and tilted her head back as the breeze caressed her face. The roar of the ocean as it beat against the rocks was comforting, and she took a moment to admire the setting sun casting its reflection upon the ocean before turning to the cliff. The ladies said the flower was rare, only growing sparsely on the cliffside. She could see that was the case, as she couldn't find the bright violet flower anywhere. She walked the cliffside, her eyes searching for the flower, for a few moments before she caught sight of something even more interesting than a flower.

An airbender sitting on the cliff overlooking the sea.

Even as she saw him, she smiled and walked quickly to him, but slowed as she saw that Aang eyes were closed and his head bowed. Figuring him meditating, she considered backing away and allowing him to continue undisturbed before his voice stopped her mid-turn. "It's alright, Katara. I could use some company." He looked at her and smiled, and Katara sat beside him, setting her basket down beside her as she smiled back.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked.

Aang looked back across the ocean. "Thinking about some things." He looked down. "Trying to find a reason to forgive."

At once, Katara knew what he was thinking about. She placed a hand on his knee. "I'm sorry," she said.

Aang smiled at her. "I know you are. And I appreciate your sympathy." He looked back across the ocean and Katara removed her hand, simply watching him as he watched the rolling sea. After a time, he spoke again, softly. "How did you cope with your mother's death?" He looked at her, his face betraying no emotion, but his eyes pleading for an answer.

Katara sucked in a breath, looking away as she searched for an answer. "I guess... I had people there who supported me." She looked back at him. "I was never truly alone. I was loved by others, and they gave me reason to continue living." Aang nodded, looking away as he pondered her answer. Katara stared at him sadly for a time before she said, "You're loved by others, too, you know." He looked at her, and she smiled. "Sokka and I will always be there for you. After what we've seen...we'll never turn our backs on you."

Aang held her gaze for a minute before smiling and taking her hand in his. "And for that, I am truly grateful." He squeezed her hand and held it for a moment, and in that moment Katara felt her heart flutter. As quickly as it came, though, it left. Aang released her hand and looked back across the ocean. "I'd like to think on what you've said, Katara." Katara nodded, noting his silent request to be left alone. She stood and grabbed her basket, laying one hand on his shoulder in a departing gesture before walking along the cliff to resume her search for the flower. Before she had gotten far, though, she heard his voice calling out to her. She turned to see him look at her with a genuine smile.

"Thank you," he said.

Katara smiled and nodded. "No problem."

* * *

At nightfall, the festivities began in earnest. Singing and dancing was a staple of the celebrations, and the gang laughed with delight as the villagers all danced without shame. There was food aplenty, enough for every villager twiceover. Crowds gathered around storytellers as they recounted the lives of heroes, and the Kyoshi warriors marveled spectators with swordsmanship and fighting ability. There was every attempt to impress the Avatar with one's abilities, and Aang found himself the center of attention for most of the night. The children all crowded him, begging him to show them his abilities. Parents apologized for their childrens' disrespect, but Aang waved them off, the childrens' innocence heartwarming.

Throughout the celebration, Aang was content to sit and watch the villagers, but as an aggressive, upbeat drum cadence began, he could feel his bones beginning to jump. He wanted to dance. The villagers had all given a section of the ground a wide berth, and a lone Kyoshi warrior in full kimono and armor stepped into the circle of villagers, all eyes on her. She began to dance, her body moving in time with the quick beats of the drum, and the villagers all began to clap and stomp with the beat, yelping and howling with the music. They cheered even louder when the Avatar joined in, dancing with the Kyoshi warrior with as much vigor. The two danced, circling each other, jumping over each other or swinging each other with flourish. They danced as if they were fighting, blocking each other's 'attacks' and countering them with style, drawing cheers from the crowd. The beat began to speed up, and the two combatants with it, until the drums finished the cadence with a final thundering beat, signaling the end of the dance. The Avatar and the warrior finished with a spin and kneel, fist to the ground as the final beat rung out, and the two were immediately beset upon by cheers and whistles alike, the crowd going wild. Aang laughed as he stood, sweat pouring down his face, and the Kyoshi warrior laughed with him, her sweat not marring the makeup in the slightest. "You dance well, Avatar."

Aang bowed. "As do you." The Kyoshi warrior returned the bow before departing, and Aang made his way back to his seat, content to simply watch the next dance. Even as he sat, he heard the drums burst into another cadence. He was surprised when he saw another Kyoshi warrior, Suki, step into the circle with none other than Sokka, and the two began to dance, drawing even louder cheers from the crowd.

"Is that Sokka?" Aang heard, and he turned to see Katara taking a seat beside him, eyes fixed on the dancing figures.

Aang nodded. "I believe it is." He turned back to them as he chuckled. "It seems he's taken an interest in the leader of the Kyoshi warriors."

Katara smiled. "If the rumors that went around the village are true, she's taken as much interest in him as he in her."

Aang nodded. He turned back to Katara. "How was your day?"

Katara hesitated, thrown off by the random question. "It went well. I helped the ladies of the village with their chores while you watched the kids." She laughed as she turned back to him. "The women of the village are eternally in your debt for distracting the children for most of the day."

Aang chuckled. "It was fun. I enjoyed every minute of it."

Katara smiled warmly at Aang. "You know, it was surprising how well you got along with the children." She laughed at Aang's confused face. "I wasn't expecting the Avatar to be so sensitive."

Aang laughed. "What were you expecting me to be like?"

Katara shrugged as she looked away. "I don't know, really. I guess a serious man or woman that had no time for fun. Someone that was all business." She looked at him again and shrugged. "Maybe that's just me being naive."

Aang shook his head. "Not naive. You just aren't looking at it the right way." He looked back at Sokka and Suki as the two continued their dance. "Every Avatar is a reincarnation of the world's spirit. By birth, an Avatar has the ability to become the world's most powerful bender in all regards. But something to remember is that the Avatar, no matter how powerful he or she may become, is still a person. He or she has emotions, needs and wants, dreams and desires. Our duty as the Avatar comes before our own personal desires, but if they don't conflict with the vision of balance we Avatars strive to protect, more often than not we pursue our own dreams. An Avatar can have a family if he wants, or an Avatar can live in seclusion to maintain what she believes is a balanced view of the world." He turned back to Katara with a smile. "We're a lot more than powerful benders."

Katara smiled back at him. "And what dream do you plan on pursuing when this is all over?"

Aang smiled, though his hesitance was clear. When he spoke, she could tell he was proud of his choice. "I want to have a family," he said simply. Katara smiled at the sweet thought, and for a moment briefly desired to be more than friends with him. As quickly as the thought came around, she shook it away. He was the Avatar, and she was a tribal girl away from home. She doubted he would consider her more than a friend.

But she looked forward to dreaming of being more than friends.

Sokka and Suki had just finished their dance, the crowd erupting in cheers. Both warriors laughed as they stepped away from the circle, and the musicians began a slower song for the villagers. Aang smiled suddenly and stood, pulling Katara up with him. "I hear the Southern Water Tribe is quick on their feet," he said, pulling her to the middle of the circle, laughing at her protests. "C'mon, Katara. This music is a classic slow dance. Our waterbending forms would go great with it."

Katara wasn't having it, looking around at the expectant villagers as they watched for another impressive bout by the Avatar. "But waterbending isn't a dance!"

"Of course it is!" Aang said, drawing water from the very air into a sphere in front of him, earning gasps and claims of awe from the crowd, and a surprised look from Katara. "Just perform some basic forms, and add a little flourish to them. The crowd will love it." He waterbent the water around his shoulders before tossing it to her. Katara caught the watery sphere and held it hesitantly, and Aang beckoned to her. "Katara. Just practice like we do at the river. That's all it is."

Katara doubted it but followed his lead, going through the forms as she tossed the water back to him. He twirled his body, the water flowing with him, before he passed the water back, and Katara continued the form. She fluidly caught the water, turning with it and swirling it around her before returning it to Aang.

The two waterbenders continued the forms through the entire dance, the music eventually all they noticed. Aang lost himself in the graceful movements, in tune with the motions of waterbending. Katara soon forgot the people staring at her and focused her entire being on her waterbending, adding flair and style to basic waterbending forms. She found her creative side in the dance, and enjoyed the dance much more than she had suspected. As Aang would show off style with his waterbending, Katara found herself risking more flair with her forms, adding to the enjoyment of the crowd. Once, both benders danced so close to each other, they were almost touching, Aang standing behind Katara as they moved with a graceful waterbending form. The two let the water flow around them, and Katara saw Aang's hands mimicking hers perfectly. It was as if the two were a mirror of each other.

Eventually, the music reached a crescendo, and Aang and Katara shared an unspoken idea as the music touched their ears. Using waterbending, the two gathered water from the various pitchers that people were drinking from, with Aang gathering more water from the air itself. A giant sphere of water formed between the benders, water adding to it in a raw display of hydrokenetic ability. As Aang heard the crescendo top out at its loudest, he twirled in the air and stylishly burst the water into a fine mist, spreading it rapidly across the pavilion. The effect was magical, and the crowd gasped with delight as the droplets sparkled in the flamelight, lending a mystical air to the area. The villagers cheered at the spectical, and Aang and Katara walked back to the benches, both soaked in as much water as sweat. They weathered the storm of villagers praising their talent, and after a respectable time accepting their compliments, Aang, feeling claustrophobic, excused himself, disappearing into the night. Katara, having noticed immediately, waited a few more minutes before going off to find the Avatar, her curiosity piqued in the young man.

She didn't find him easily. She stumbled upon him as she walked the cliffs, having given up on finding him earlier and instead enjoying the sound of the waves beating on the rocks. The airbender was meditating, but like before, knew she was there without even seeing her. "Wanting some fresh air as well?" he asked, and Katara smiled as she sat next to him, staring out at the ocean.

"Is that why you left? To get some fresh air?"

"Partly," he said.

Katara nudged him in the ribs. "Isn't there something ironic about an airbender needing fresh air?"

Aang laughed, genuinely enthused. "Very witty." He looked at her. "I just needed some time alone."

Katara smiled sadly. "Thinking again?"

Aang nodded. "I've been thinking about that, yes, but I'm mostly thinking about what I'll do when I stop the Fire Nation." He looked back to the sea as he smiled. "I think I want to try a game the children of the Southern Water Tribe used to play back in my time. Perhaps you've heard of it," he said, looking back at her. "Penguin sledding?" Katara burst into laughter, the idea of Aang, the Avatar, sledding on a penguin. Aang joined in, laughing with her as he said, "It's ridiculous, I know."

Katara wiped a tear from her eye. "Whatever gave you that idea?"

Aang shrugged. "I don't know. But I think that's the one thing I'll need after stopping the Fire Nation. A little bit of silly, plain fun."

Katara nodded, her laughter dying down. "Tell you what. You and me will stop the Fire Nation, and afterwards, I'll take you penguin sledding."

Aang smiled. "It's a deal." They held each other's gaze for a moment before Aang turned back to the sea, and both benders sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence. Eventually, Aang spoke again. "I've thought a lot about what you said." He looked at her, the wind faintly blowing her hair across her face. "You were right. I am loved." He looked back to the sea. "These people love and adore me. I'm the first sign of hope they've seen in almost a century." He looked down in thought as he explained. "What I'm feeling now, they have lived in fear of for an entire generation. I have to go on. I have to inspire hope, no matter how I feel. In doing so, I'll give them reasons to go on living. That's my reason for going on living."

Katara stared sadly at him, feeling tears well up in her eyes. Aang thought of others more than himself, even during a tragedy. It was beautiful to see someone so humble and compassionate, and Katara would have liked nothing better than to hug him right there and then. She wiped her eyes, smiling as he looked back at her, and his own eyes widened. "What is it?" he asked, concerned.

"Nothing," she said. "It's just amazing to see someone care so much about so many." She sniffled. "Everyone would understand if you decided not to care anymore, but you still do." She smiled at him. "You're unlike anyone I've ever imagined." Aang smiled back at her, touched by her feelings.

"There you guys are!" Sokka said, walking up to the two. "We've been looking for you. The villagers are beginning to wonder where you went, Aang. They think they've upset you."

Aang smiled as he stood, and he held out his hand to Katara as he said, "I can't have that, now, can I?" He pulled Katara up and looked to Sokka. "Tell them I was simply getting some fresh air. I'll be back in just a moment."

Sokka nodded, and departed, leaving the two alone once again. Aang looked at Katara. "Katara, I want you to know how appreciative I am of your support. I haven't known you long, but you've proven yourself a true friend in the past few weeks." He smiled at her as he laid a hand on her shoulder. "If there's anything I can do for you, all you need to do is ask."

Katara smiled at him, again feeling overwhelmed at his sense of compassion for others over himself. She pulled him into a hug, one that he returned, and whispered into his ear. "Don't ever change, Aang. No matter what you experience in the future, no matter who you meet. Don't ever change."

* * *

The festival ended as the moon was highest in the sky. The villagers insisted Aang and his friends go to sleep, leaving the cleanup to them, and after saying their goodbyes, the three made their way to Oyaji's house. The village elder had opened his home to them, where they stayed for the next few days. Festivals were held every night in the Avatar's honor, and the villagers put forth their best efforts to please Aang with their revelry. Aang enjoyed the celebrations, feeling contentment at each smiling face he saw. Even the Kyoshi warriors, usually stoic warriors that showed no emotion, smiled with joy as they had fun at the festivals.

During the day, Aang would continue watching the children, showing an astounding patience a young man of his years rarely had. Katara spent time with the women of the village, but often found herself helping Aang watch the children, a desire to be around Aang more prevalent than her desire to speak with the other ladies. The women understood what Katara was feeling, and never brought up her growing absence from their lives. Sokka still trained with the Kyoshi warriors, the women forming a bond with the warrior as he learned their art of fighting and taught them tribal warfare.

As the days grew, word traveled of the Avatar's presence on the island. Fishermen trading their catch would hear tales of the last airbender on the docks, and would speak to their wives about the rumors. The wives would tell shopkeepers in idle conversation. Children would hear of it from the shopkeepers, and would spread the word like a forest fire. Whether Avatar Aang wanted to stay secret from the world or not, that proved impossible.

Word reached as far as the open seas, where a particular prince, banished for voicing his opinion, took a keen interest in the stories.

* * *

Aang stood with Katara at the beach, both fully clothed this time, as Aang intended to teach a lesson requiring a good soak. "You've really done well with waterbending. You're more of a natural at it than I was." He pulled water from the sea into his hand and chucked it at Katara, who caught the water before it soaked her. "You already know how to feel the water with your chi, and you're quickly learning any form I teach you. I've even seen you practicing alone, and you seem to be able to improvise, creating your own forms of waterbending." He smiled at her. "That shows incredible initiative. What's better, you're having more success with improvisation than most masters do." He put his hands on his sides. "But I still haven't seen you really use waterbending in a practical way."

Katara, who had been soaking up the praise, gave Aang a shocked stare. "Huh? Practical?"

Aang nodded. "Sure. Waterbending isn't just about fighting. We benders help nonbenders with their daily tasks, and can provide relief simply by using our powers. For instance," He raised his hand, and the bubble of water Katara had been levitating burst, soaking her. Surprised, Katara ducked her head, stunned as water dripped from her. She looked to Aang for an explanation as he stepped closer to her. "It should be obvious that a waterbender could draw out moisture from someone's clothing." As he spoke, Katara watched the water being sucked from her clothes, forming a bubble near Aang's hand. As he finished, she patted her clothes and was surprised to find them dry. She looked at him with a smile, and he nodded. "Practicality."

Katara nodded, the short lesson making its point. "I think I understand. I should look for more ways to make the villagers' life easier using my waterbending!"

Aang nodded. "Exactly. We benders aren't just fighters. If all we were needed to do was fight, we'd be no different than Sokka or the Kyoshi warriors. But because we _are _different, we should find ways to help people with our gift."

Katara nodded, and opened her mouth to say something, but stopped short as she saw something falling from the sky. Aang looked up, and both benders felt their heart stop.

Black snow was falling.

Knowing it could only mean one thing, both benders took off for the village.

* * *

Even as the two benders approached the village, they could tell they were too late to stop the attack. It had already begun. Fires towered into the sky, and people were running from firebenders as the men and women in devil armor used their abilities to both burn structures and attack people. A gong was ringing throughout the village, a signal to the Kyoshi warriors, and Aang watched in awe as the green-clad warriors suddenly appeared from the trees, taking the battle to the firebenders.

He had never seen the Kyoshi warriors at their finest. Even as he ran faster towards the village, he could already see the warriors confronting the firebenders. One warrior leapt from the roof of a burning building, landing a solid kick to a firebender riding a komodo rhino. As he fell, the Kyoshi warrior fell with him, turning in a circle while brandishing golden metal fans, the instruments razor sharp. Aang felt his stomach drop as he saw the fan rip into the man's skin, drawing blood. Even as the firebender landed, the Kyoshi twirled on the ground to bring herself closer to the man, running her fans across his neck to end his life. Aang knew they were simply protecting their home, and they had every right to claim the life of these men who would surely have claimed theirs, but the firebender's death came as a shock to him that he knew was attributed to his pacifistic upbringings.

More Kyoshi warriors had joined the fight, their agility and technique deadly in their fights against the firebenders. Some brandished shields to block flames, others struck quickly with katanas or shuriken, and still others fought the firebenders in hand-to-hand combat. Despite their varied combat styles, every Kyoshi warrior proved themselves against the firebenders as they quickly and methodically slew the invaders.

Aang and Katara lent aid to the defense of the village, using a combination of their bending abilities to disable the firebenders. Aang himself wasn't meaning to kill, only defeat. He used a combination of all four bending arts as he took down firebenders that dared attack him. One firebender he simply blasted into a collapsed house with airbending. Another he surrounded with water he pulled from the air itself, freezing the water into an almost impenetrable ice, and yet another he bound into an earthen prison with merely a wave of his hand. He noticed the Kyoshi warriors avoided those he had disabled, though one gave him a confused look as she looked for another enemy. He knew they were wondering why he didn't kill, but couldn't explain his morals to them at such a time as this. He only hoped they understood. He was inwardly pleased when he saw Katara doing the same, only using her waterbending to disable her enemies.

She had taken water from a well near the edge of town, forming it into a colossal ring around her, tentacles of water protruding into the air. Firebenders attempted to attack her, but the tentacles simply waved the fire away. Katara herself danced within the ring, directing the tentacles to attack the firebenders that began surrounding her and attacking her in a unified fashion. Aang almost leapt to her assistance, but smiled to himself when he saw that she had the whole situation under control. The defensive ring was like that of an octopus, tentacles whipping out and striking firebenders as much as they were blocking fire directed at Katara herself.

Aang even saw Sokka taking the fight to the firebenders, the tribesman wielding his club with power and ferocity. He had already downed three men by the time Aang had noticed him, and looked for his next victim, his club bloody.

Aang busied himself defending Kyoshi warriors who were slowly being outnumbered by the warriors, or lending assistance to either Sokka or Katara. It was only during his attempt to shield a Kyoshi warrior from a firebender's attack with an earthen shield that he himself came under attack by a firebender far exceeding his brethren's power. He waved his hand across the fire, dissipating it with a blast of air as he confronted his attacker: the scarred man from the boat.

Prince Zuko.

"Zuko!" he said, his anger flaring. "You're responsible for this?!"

Zuko glared at Aang, no remorse in his face. "No. You're responsible for this!" He pointed at the Avatar as he bared his teeth. "You being alive is a threat to the cause of my home! I can't allow you to live! To do so is to dishonor my entire nation!" He let loose a volley of impressive flame attacks, his fury channeled into his bending. Where his fireballs flew, the ground itself blackened from the intense heat, the grass shriveling to ash. All his anger he felt throughout his life was thrown out against the Avatar in a raw display of power.

Where the firebender resorted to rage and hate to fuel his bending, the airbender retreated into his indifferent, passive fighting style to dodge and evade, using his momentum to charge up his attacks before firing them at the prince. The prince had been practicing since their last bout, though, and dodged Aang's attacks nimbly. Aang fought with him briefly before deciding he couldn't waste time fighting with the prince; he had a village to help save.

With two quick thrusts of his arms, hands clawed, he enclosed the Fire Prince in an earthen prison, ending the fight unceremoniously.

The prince roared his outrage at his second, easy defeat. "Avatar! I will have my revenge! You can't keep running!"

Aang didn't listen, instead running further into the village, where the fighting was still fierce. All around him, firebenders lay in pools of blood, but not a single Kyoshi warrior was among the bodies, a testament to their incredible skill. The Kyoshi warriors fought with a ferocity Aang had never seen, and a part of him envied their skill with their weapons. Even as he leapt to their aid, however, he knew the warriors' skill alone wouldn't be enough. The Kyoshi warriors were badly outnumbered. Firebenders were hard pressed to compete with the Kyoshi warriors, but the sheer numbers of them would prove to be the Kyoshi warriors' downfall. Aang did his best to combat the firebenders, blasting them away in powerful cannonballs of air, or burying them in earth to negate their power, but he knew he was only one man. They were losing. Something drastic would have to happen.

That drastic something happened when Aang heard a scream, and turned to see a Kyoshi warrior overwhelmed by three firebenders. He watched in horror as the firebenders unleashed powerful torrents of fire, the Kyoshi warrior writhing on the ground as her skin was cooked alive. She sobbed and screamed, begging them to simply kill her, but the firebenders ignored her. She clawed at the ground, seeking escape, but the firebenders would kick her back, continuing their horrific torture.

Something inside Aang snapped. At once, his brow furrowed, eyes and tattoos glowing brightly. Aang's carefully protected and hidden anger burst forth as the Avatar state came upon him. "NO!" he screamed, voice accented by the thousands of past Avatars. He thrust his hands out and blasted the firebenders away from the warrior. If he weren't overcome with rage, he would have heard their chests crack as their entire midsections caved in. With his immense power, he could feel where every firebender was throughout the village by sensing the heated air. Using this, he commanded the air obey him, and in a shocking display of raw power, began to rise in the air atop a twisting tornado. His gaze looked out upon the Fire Nation soldiers, and it was only the Avatar that saw them. Aang was no more. The Avatar stretched forth his hands, and with immeasurable power, commanded the earth with only slight movements of his fingers. Suddenly, the Fire Nation soldiers found themselves attacked by earthen slabs, pillars, and boulders of alarming frequency. As the Fire Nation soldiers fought to survive the onslaught of earth, they were suddenly assaulted by hail, the ice falling with great speed and power. The Fire Nation soldiers attempted to fight off the elemental attacks with their own bending arts, but to their dismay, fire didn't heed their call anymore. As they lashed out, the Avatar turned their fire against them, scorching them with the same heat they had attacked the villagers with. As the firebenders scrambled to flee, Aang swept each firebender up in a great wind and threw them out to sea, near their ships. As a final act, he landed on the beach, commanded the water to obey, and used the great tides to push the Fire Nation ships and their crew - on the ships or in the water - out to sea.

The danger over, Aang raised his hands again, commanding the water obey again. This time, he rode a tsunami inland, directing the water safely around every villager as he put out the fires the Fire Nation had started. Every villager, and Katara in particular, watched in awe as Aang displayed waterbending on a level no one alive had imaged. The tsunami, when reaching a person, would separate into levitating streams, flowing around them. Each individual stream flowed toward a flame, or rejoined the main body of water as Aang rode the tsunami through the village. Within seconds, the fires were out, and Aang directed the water back to the ocean. He settled back to the beach as the water finally stilled in the ocean, his tattoos and eyes returning to normal as he fell out of the Avatar state. He stared out into the ocean, unable to see the Fire Nation ships, but knowing they were out there all the same, and wondered just how long this man would pursue him, and if he should put him down before he hurt anyone else in an effort to capture him.

"Aang!" He turned to see Katara running towards him, her expression one of shock. "Aang!" she said, stopping in front of him. "That was amazing! I've never seen anything like that!"

Aang frowned sadly as he turned away, as if ashamed. "I shouldn't have lost control. I could have killed them." His eyes searched the water as he recalled the events. "I think I killed some of them, actually..." He fell silent, ashamed of himself for forsaking the value of life he had grown to adore.

Surprised, Katara stared, unsure of what to say. "Aang, you saved the village. There's no shame in that." She leaned down to look him in his downcast eyes. "You would rather the village had been wiped out?"

His eyes widened. "No! I just..." He stopped, sighing. "I'm tired of people getting hurt because of me." Suddenly, his eyes widened again, as if remembering something. "Oh no..." He looked at Katara as he slid an arm around her waste. Caught offguard, she simply stared as he said, "Hang on." He gestured to the earth with a hand and, with a stomp of his feet, the earth itself surged forward. Katara almost screamed as she felt the earth shifting beneath her, but couldn't manage a sound. She clung to Aang, watching in awe as the earth propelled them quickly across the island, and after her initial terror, smiled with joy, excitement overtaking fear.

Aang rode the earthwave to the edge of the village, shrinking it into the ground and running the rest of the way to his destination, pulling Katara along by her hand. There was a great clamor of people up ahead, and Katara couldn't imagine what had gained their attention so quickly after the attack. Aang ran straight through the crowd, gently pushing people out of the way as he apologized. "Excuse me, please, pardon me, please step aside." Katara followed him to the center of the crowd and saw what everyone was crowding around: a Kyoshi warrior.

Immediately, she stopped, shocked and sickened by what she saw. The Kyoshi warrior's skin was completely blackened from horrific burns. Her hair was completely gone, having been burned off. The flesh had split in some places, revealing sensitive pink skin underneath, and her clothes had all but burned away, giving her no protection when the superheated armor made contact to her skin. The result was a terrible melting of armor onto her skin. The incredible heat that had scarred her so hadn't melted her makeup from her face; it had burned it there, leaving her face permanently white and her eyes ebony. The woman whimpered and yelped as a slight breeze touched her, sending waves of agony across her body. It was almost too much for Katara. Tears sprang to her eyes as she stared at the pitiful creature laying in front of her.

Aang had knelt down next to her, his hands a mere inch away from the woman, and yet not touching her. He simply stared, and Katara wondered what he was thinking. He looked up at the crowd as he stood. "I need a tent erected here, five buckets of clean water, a knife, and I need an herbalist to gather Dragon's Tail and Argon's Tears. The rest of you need to leave! I need no distractions!" At the harsh word of the Avatar, everyone scattered. Aang earthbent the earth around the Kyoshi warrior, raising her on an earthen slab to waist level. Katara fidgeted, unsure of what to do, but not wanting to leave in the offchance Aang needed her.

A group of villagers returned with a tent and quickly began erecting it around Aang and the warrior, while an herbalist handed Aang his requested herbs and a bowl. The villagers had brought torches and set them up within the confines of the tent to give him light, and the herbalist gave him her blessings before departing, the Avatar not needing her. Aang turned to the Kyoshi warrior, closing his eyes as the woman stared up at him, sobbing silently. Aang's tattoos flashed once as he accessed the memories of thousands of Avatars before him, before he ground the herbs into a powder, mixed it with water pulled from the air, and made the Kyoshi warrior drink it. He explained to Katara that it was a draught meant to numb her to the pain of what was to come. As he made her drink, more villagers arrived with the buckets of water he asked for. Katara helped them bring them inside before ushering them outside. As she was about to close the tent flap, Suki suddenly appeared, offering Katara her knife. "I don't know what the Avatar intends, but I trust him with my life. Take my knife and give it to him." She bowed low and left, leaving Katara to return to the tent, handing Aang the knife.

"What do you plan on doing?" Katara asked. She had an inkling of what he was going to do, but needed to hear it all the same. And didn't need to.

Aang looked up at her, his face one of calm determination. "Her armor has been melted to her skin. I can't heal her unless I remove it." He left the method of removal unsaid, but Katara understood. She nodded, though couldn't shake her doubt.

"Are you sure about this?"

Aang nodded. "Being the Avatar, I have access to all my memories from my past lives. I found one that was very similar to the predicament I find myself in. The Avatar seven centuries ago once performed treatment on a burn victim like this. I've done this before, a long time ago." He turned to the Kyoshi warrior, pleased to see the draught was taking effect. "Sleep, brave one. I will take care of you." Whether the Kyoshi warrior heard him or not, Katara didn't know. She fainted with a small sigh, and Aang looked up. "For this part, I understand if you want to turn away. Though I will tell you that, as a waterbender, you have the potential of being a healer. This procedure could be valuable knowledge if you were to pursue that path."

Katara nodded. "Is that how you will heal her?" She gestured to the buckets of water. "With water?"

Aang nodded. "I'll show you how to heal with your waterbending. That's why I've kept you here. If anything, this will be a learning tool for you." He brandished the knife, and Katara almost turned away, but steeled herself at the last moment and walked around the Kyoshi warrior to stand beside Aang. She watched as Aang gently and precisely began cutting the skin that had been melted to the armor. Blood began dribbling in welts as the skin was cut away, but just as quickly as it flowed, it was suddenly sucked back into the woman's body. Katara gasped, and Aang answered her unanswered question. "Blood is just water mixed with life-giving properties. It can be bended just as water can." He fell silent before adding, "Though you won't attempt it until we've talked about it." He spared her a glance as he said, "I'm serious." Katara nodded, feeling wary under his glance, and Aang turned back to his task of cutting the woman from the armor. Katara made herself watch Aang's deft touch as he continued the brutal job of removing the armor. It took more than an hour, and Katara felt herself heave several times, but forced herself to stay strong in front of Aang throughout the ordeal. Eventually, though, the job was done. The warrior, however, didn't look any better.

In place of the armor, red and pink skin showed on the warrior's naked body, and Katara could swear she could see muscle peaking through rips in the skin. Whether Aang was sickened by the sight or not, he gave no sign. Katara took a deep breath and made herself stare at the woman, understanding that if she couldn't take this kind of sight, she wouldn't be effective as a healer. She looked at Aang as the airbender used earthbending to lower the slab of rock lower to the ground, to a level where he could sit comfortably and still work on the warrior. Katara sat with him on the other side of the warrior, and Aang gestured to the buckets of water. At once, the water leapt to his command and flowed around the woman's entire body, coating her in a layer of water from her head to her toes. Katara stared in shock as even the woman's face was submerged in water, but Aang waved aside her concern. "I'm pumping oxygen into her lungs through a combination of airbending and waterbending. She'll be fine." He placed his hands into the watery cloak, bidding Katara do the same. "I want you to close your eyes. Use your senses as a waterbender to feel the water around her, and then use it to locate her chi paths. That is our primary way of healing."

Katara did as he said, and for the next half-hour, Aang guided her through the basics of healing. Not once did she open her eyes, but she didn't need to. Through the water, she could feel the skin as the water gave it life again. She felt the skin knit together, even regrow over the ripped portions of her body. She felt the life-giving water flow through the woman's chi paths, restoring her body to its natural self, eliminating all traces of injury. Only when Aang said to did she open her eyes to see the perfect, unmarred body of a Kyoshi warrior lying between them. From her head to her toes, the woman had no trace of burns anywhere on her body. Katara inhaled in shock as she gently touched the woman's arm, feeling the skin that felt like skin beneath her fingers. "Wow…" she breathed.

Aang nodded. "It's amazing, isn't it? Healing of this magnitude won't be possible for a while. You need more training before you can heal something as extensive as her wounds." He gently rubbed the woman's bald head as he explained, "Her hair will regrow in time. We've healed the roots, and so she should be able to regrow it without issue. Her face, however, I couldn't heal. Her makeup has been permanently burned to her face." He looked upon her sadly. "Sometimes a person may be too damaged to heal effectively. And sometimes, all you can do is make their passing painless." He stood and stretched, and Katara stood too, still amazed as she saw the Kyoshi warrior lying peacefully, her body completely healed. "Thankfully, that's not the case here." Aang walked up beside her, gesturing with his head to the tent flaps. "We've done all we can for her. She'll be fine. We should help the rest of the village." Katara nodded and together, the benders walked out of the tent into the light.

They were greeted by Suki and three villagers. "How is she?" Suki asked, concern etched on her face.

Aang smiled. "She'll be fine. She's sleeping now. Katara and I healed her wounds, and she's resting comfortably." His frown fell before Suki could get excited. "Her face, however, has been permanently altered. Her makeup has been burned to her face. I'm afraid there's nothing I could do to remove it."

Suki's face fell slightly before she smiled. "At least she's alive. That's all that matters." She looked to the three villagers, a man, woman and child, and gestured to the tent. "Go ahead. It's okay." The three villagers, the warrior's family, Aang guessed, walked past, but not before the parents bowed low with signs of respect to both benders. Aang smiled and returned the signs before turning to Suki. "Did any other Kyoshi warriors fall in battle?"

Suki shook her head. "No. Your actions saved us, Avatar. The battle could have been a lot worse had you not intervened."

A wave of sadness hit Aang, and though he masked it, Katara could tell in his eyes that he blamed himself for the village's trouble. "My presence brought this upon you. You suffer because of me."

Suki's eyes widened. "No, honored Avatar! You had..."

"Do not insult my intelligence," Aang said, a little too harshly. His eyes softened as Suki clamped her mouth shut. "My presence is the only reason such a force attacked here today. You know that." He looked to Katara, and she knew what he was saying. She nodded as he continued. "I believe it is time we left." He looked back to Suki. "We will help restore your village, but then we must leave. We cannot put your lives in danger any longer."

Knowing she couldn't convince the Avatar, Suki nodded.

* * *

Aang, Katara and Sokka spent the next day helping the villagers restore most of the village. Aang and Katara took the time to heal those that had been injured or burned during the attack, and used their bending powers to help with the villagers as they rebuilt their homes, recaptured livestock or buried their dead. At the end of the day, the villagers all had gathered to wish the three goodbye, and despite their recent tragedy, none held ill will toward the Avatar as he said his goodbyes. The children hated to see Aang go, which made Aang laugh at the innocence, and the village women all shed tears at the thought of Katara leaving. Sokka said goodbye to the Kyoshi warriors, many of the usually hardy women expressing sensitive goodbyes at the warrior's departing.

"Avatar Aang, it has been my village's honor to shelter you during this last week," Oyaji said. "Please, spare no sympathy for us here on Kyoshi Island. Death is a part of life, and those who have passed are now residing in the comfort of the Spirit world, free of the terror this world brings." Oyaji placed a hand on the taller airbender's shoulder as he continued. "Your presence made it possible for us to see that this world needs help." He smiled. "We at Kyoshi Island cannot stay separate from this world any longer. It's time we did our part to help heal this world." He glanced at the Kyoshi warriors, who stood straighter. "That is why I offer you the service of one of the Kyoshi warriors." Aang stared, stunned, and the elder mistook the airbender's surprise for dismay. "They are the finest warriors ever trained," He reassured. "Their skills would be very useful to you should you ever find yourself in need of their protection."

Aang smiled, touched at the gesture. "Elder Oyaji, I'm honored, but I can't remove a valuable member of your community from you. The Kyoshi warriors are needed here to protect you. Even one would weaken your defenses."

Oyaji furrowed his brow. "You flatter us, Avatar, but the Kyoshi warriors will not be staying here anyway. They have agreed, as have I, that the world needs their skills more than this secluded island. They will be leaving to lend aid to those who oppose the Fire Nation, wherever they may be." He smiled. "The first thing they asked was if there was any way they could help _you_ on your journey. You couldn't take all of them; it wouldn't be practical. But a single warrior would prove useful, and could help make the difference in your journey."

Aang nodded, understanding that the elder and the warriors had discussed this beforehand, and understood the implications. "Very well. Is there any warrior in particular you would recommend?"

Oyaji shook his head. "They are all skilled, and each is fiercely determined to see your mission successful. Each is ready to lay down her life for you if you ask. You'll not find a more dependable companion."

Aang nodded, and looked to Katara and Sokka. "What do you think?" He asked them both.

Katara nodded. "I think it's a great idea. If they're willing, I would gladly accept help. We need all the help we can get."

Sokka agreed. "Their skills are legendary. Any one of them would be an incredible asset to the team."

Aang nodded and looked at the warriors as they waited for him to choose. He knew any of the warriors would do, though they each had a different skillset. Some were more versed in offense, some in defense, some on speed, some on overpowering their foes. Some worked with swords, some with fans, and some with more exotic weaponry. Each knew how to kill, and each was willing to lay down her life for the Avatar. To have any one of them on his side was an honor. But he had heard the tales around the village, and had decided upon one woman before he even considered the others.

"If possible, I would like Suki to travel with us."

He was betting the other Kyoshi warriors were hoping for this outcome as well, as some smiled wide at the mention of their leader's name. Suki herself didn't smile, only stepping forward and bowing. "I am pleased you chose me, Avatar. I won't disappoint you."

"I'm sure you won't," Aang said.

Suki did not rise from the bow, instead continuing. "My life is your life, my morals your morals, my thoughts your thoughts. I will be an extension of your will, an instrument of your design. I will protect those you love and defeat those you hate. I will see you to the end of your mission, and if need be, I will give my life so that your vision of peace is realized."

Aang, having heard of such a declaration of servitude from one of his past lives, placed his hand on her head, and spoke in all seriousness. "I accept your offer of service. Welcome to my ranks. Together, we will bring peace to this world." He removed his hand, and Suki rose to face him directly.

"I didn't misspeak when I said I would die for you, Avatar. If need be, I will gladly give my life for yours."

"Good to have you on board, Suki." He was glad to see her spare a smile, and thought better of this idea already. "You should pack what little you can carry. We leave soon." The warrior nodded and turned to walk to the dojo. The other warriors followed, wanting to say goodbye to their leader. Aang and the others waited for the warrior to return, and only when she returned, carrying one satchel, did they make to leave. Aang bowed once more to the village and, with them saying goodbye to the three plus Suki, jumped onto Appa. The others climbed into the saddle and Aang snapped the reigns, taking off into the air.

Part of Aang felt bad for the village suffering so much damage while under his protection. Added to the fact that he was taking the leader of their warriors away from their people, and Aang didn't feel the hero that he was viewed as. But as he looked back and saw the faces of confidence staring at him, he knew that, whether he thought himself worthy of their admiration or not, he had to act the hero and make the hard decisions. He had to make sacrifices and look at the biggest picture, for the sake of all. He couldn't be a man as much as he had in the past.

He had to be an Avatar.


	4. Chapter 4: The King of Omashu

**A/N: This one took me a while, obviously. Being older and wiser, Aang and Bumi's interactions would be different, and it was difficult to figure out how to set it up. Plus I'm working on three other stories (3rd case of Phoenix Wright is almost done, btw).**

**If you guys find any discrepancies or mistakes, grammatical or otherwise, please let me know. I want this story to be perfect.  
**

* * *

**BOOK 1: WATER**

_CHAPTER 4_

"**The King of Omashu"**

* * *

The group made good time during their travels, with Suki being a great addition to the team. The routine the three had developed hadn't changed; they simply added Suki to the mix. Aang would still practice with Katara on waterbending while Suki and Sokka practiced martial arts, and then the entire group would practice martial arts together. Aang noticed a definite improvement in Katara's waterbending after a few days of training with Suki; the training was tough, and Suki was an unforgiving teacher at the best of times. The results were undeniable, though: Katara was becoming used to her body, and her waterbending skill increased with her physical conditioning. Without Suki's admirable skill, Aang admitted he could never have gotten the progress from Katara that he was getting now.

Suki wasn't just an adept warrior, however. She had also proven herself an able cook and seamstress, preparing food and repairing clothing for the group without complaint. She had even modified the tribesmen's clothing to allow more movement and air, their old clothing being tight to keep in heat. She lent her skills to the others generously, with an attitude to simply improve the group's chances and quicken their pace to the Northern Water Tribe. She was completely devoted to their cause, but oddly remained at arm's length to the rest of the group. Her stoic attitude never seemed to falter, and Aang felt she was keeping herself detached from them on purpose. Even Sokka's relationship with her suffered, and the warrior, despite his best efforts to hide it, couldn't help but feel flustered at the sudden change. It wasn't truly a problem, Aang decided, and she had every right to detach herself from the others, but Aang couldn't help but want to befriend her, and to understand why she would feel the need to ostracize herself. He had planned to ask her of this when they had settled down near a dry riverbed for lunch, but the opportunity never came up.

Aang sat on a small ridge overlooking the riverbed as he watched Katara and Suki practice martial arts. The Kiyoshi warrior had traded her kimono and armor for the simple flax outfit he had seen her in back on Kyoshi Island, and had shed her face paint. The waterbender had enough trouble as it was fighting one-on-one with the warrior, as martial arts wasn't her forté, but Suki had thrown armor in there once and Katara had almost broken her hands as a result. "Perhaps we'll try the armor later," Suki relented, wanting to improve Katara's skill before adding something so drastic to the mix. As Aang watched the two fighting below, he couldn't help but admire their form. Katara was reverting to her waterbending forms he had taught her, using the movements and the grace of the forms to avoid or redirect Suki's attacks. The Kyoshi warrior, he noticed, adopted different stances depending on the situation, pressing the attack in all manner of ways that kept Katara on edge. She was hard-pressed to keep the warrior at bay without her waterbending, but she seemed most comfortable with her waterbending techniques despite this. He was proud to admit that after a week of practicing with Suki, Katara had improved much; the warrior wasn't able to land a direct hit on her now, a stark difference from the first day of practice.

Satisfied that the two were without need of him for a while, Aang bowed his head in meditation, turning his thoughts inward to reflect on what all he had done, and what he would need to do. It was still hard for him to accept that his entire people had been wiped out, but he was coming to terms with the revelation. He remembered all that his people had stood for, and was finding it easier to forgive the Fire Nation for their crime. He couldn't continue the hostility; someone needed to stop the fighting in order to bring about peace, and besides that, he wouldn't want to honor his people's memory with vengeance. He had explained that to Katara during their nightly talks and she admired him for the decision, which made him all the more confident it was the right one.

He sat in meditation for much of Katara and Suki's training, rising from his trance when Katara called out to him. "Aang! Sokka's back with food!" Aang opened his eyes and smiled at the waterbender before leaping from the ridge and landing on the rocks of the riverbed ten feet below. "It looks like he's got quite a bit," Katara said as she led the way to intercept Sokka, Suki and Aang trailing behind. The waterbender was sweating heavily from her exercises with Suki, and Aang had the sudden idea that the woman wasn't used to the warmer climate. It was a wonder neither tribesman complained about the heat. He looked ahead to see the warrior carrying his knapsack over his shoulder, close to full with food, and waved at the approaching tribesman. Sokka waved back with a smile as Katara closed the distance and took the knapsack from him. "You were out there tromping about for a good hour or two." She hefted the knapsack over her shoulder as her brother rolled his shoulders to relieve the tension of carrying pounds of food for that long a time. "Found quite a bit, didn't you?"

Sokka nodded. "I did. Enough for all of us for at least a day or two." He looked among them as he cocked an eyebrow. "Why the entourage, though? I'm only returning from a food run. It's like you're starving or something."

Katara shrugged. "Suki and I finished my training just a few minutes ago, and I _am_ feeling famished. They decided to tag along, I guess." Aang shrugged with the explanation, confirming the spur-of-the-moment decision to just meet Sokka halfway.

Sokka also shrugged. "Works for me." They walked back to camp and set the knapsack down before splitting the food between the four of them. There were many nuts and berries, with the occasional fruit found on the forest floor, so everyone had enough to fill their stomach and still have some left over. Knowing it would go bad soon, they all gave the leftovers to Appa, the flying bison swallowing the remaining food whole before going back to grazing. Content for the moment, Sokka turned to Katara, resting his elbows on his knees from his position sitting on the ground. "How's your training going with Suki and Aang?"

Katara nodded. "I think it's going well. I'm getting better at waterbending all the time, and I have fewer bruises every day after training with Suki, so I consider that progress."

Sokka nodded, pleased with his sister's answer before turning to Aang. "So Aang, how much farther do you think we are from the North Pole?"

The Avatar hesitated as he shrugged. "Truthfully, I don't know." He looked to the sky as he explained. "The air is still too warm for us to be nearing the pole. I'm following air currents to the north when we fly, but it might still be some time yet."

Sokka nodded, standing and looking to Suki. "What about you, Suki? Do you recognize this part of the Earth Kingdom? How far north are we?"

The Kyoshi warrior shrugged. "I'm unsure. I've spent my entire life on Kyoshi Island. I couldn't tell you where we are." She fell silent, and Sokka turned from her as he decided on their next action.

"We should probably get moving, then. Every day, more people die from Fire Nation attacks. We should only take enough time to eat, and then move on."

Aang shook his head. "Appa has to rest, too. Flying is strenuous on bison if they're airborne for too long at a time. He'll probably take a nap here soon to recuperate." As if to accent his master's statement, the bison yawned noisily before collapsing on the ground. Aang looked at his friend as he laughed. "I think we have our answer right there."

Sokka sighed with impatience but quickly masked it. "Well, what should we do? Do you want to continue practicing, or should we rest as well?"

Aang shook his head. "I think we could make some more progress with our forms." He stood, and Suki stood as well, ready to do his bidding. "What do you think, Suki? You think we could do with a little more practice?"

Suki nodded. "Yes. Sokka is still too rigid in his form. Katara's form is unique and is suited for her, but I would like to see her use more aggressive stances should she ever need to take the fight to someone." Suki shrugged at Katara's raised eyebrow. "Sometimes, to protect the ones you love or to save the things you cherish, you must act first, with haste and precision. You can't always wait for your opponent to begin his attack."

Aang nodded. "Then let's practice together. I'll practice with Katara, and Suki will practice with Sokka." Suki nodded and left with Sokka to practice several feet away, out of earshot so as not to distract Aang or Katara. Aang looked to Katara as he smiled. "She sure is different."

Katara nodded, relieved to be out of Suki's presence. She liked the woman, but she could be a little overbearing at times. "She is." The waterbender looked to her brother and his trainer, watching as they started in on their practicing. "She's so serious. I can understand why, given the circumstances, but…" she fell silent, unsure of how to voice her idea, but Aang understood.

"I know how you feel." He shrugged. "Maybe she'll warm up to us. I doubt she's had any experience with anyone but her own people on her island all her life."

Katara nodded. "Yeah, I guess you're right." She changed the subject. "So, do you think Suki's right? I'm not aggressive enough?"

Aang shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with letting your enemy make the first move. You can make an educated decision on how to respond to it, and it gives you certain advantages that the first move would give up." He held up a finger to indicate a point. "But, there _are_ advantages to making the first strike in a fight. I think what Suki is trying to teach you is to learn what those advantages are and how to weigh them against the advantages of waiting on your opponent, and then deciding how to fight from there. She's right. I've found myself in situations where I had to make the first move, or else risk someone getting hurt because of my inaction."

Katara nodded. "I know. It's just hard for me to do that. I don't feel confident in my abilities. Not enough to start the fight."

Aang nodded. "That's alright. If you don't feel confident, you're humble, and humility is the key to getting better. But sometimes making the first strike, or attacking when you would usually feel comfortable waiting for them to move first, is the key to winning. It could catch them off-guard, and they could be hard-pressed to keep up in the fight after that." He smiled. "It's okay to be patient and see what the opponent is going to do, but sometimes you have to be aggressive. It's up to you when you choose to be patient, or to take the initiative." Katara nodded, and he settled into a stance, prompting her to do the same. "Now, let's practice a bit with it. I want you to try to rush in for attacks when you feel you would usually hang back and wait."

* * *

By the time the four had finished practicing with their martial arts, Appa was fully rested and ready to continue. They packed up their belongings before piling into Appa's saddle and taking off into the air, heading north once more on their quest for the North Pole. Aang steered Appa, using the air currents to keep them pointing north, with Katara riding by his side, the two benders sharing conversation together to pass the time. Sokka thought about talking to Suki in an attempt to continue the friendship they had had on Kyoshi Island, but decided against it at the last minute, not entirely convinced she would be any different anyway. He instead stretched out on the saddle, taking a nap. Suki noticed Sokka's longing gaze at her, and knew that he was pained by her decision to remove herself emotionally from the others, but she stood by her choice, knowing it was for the best. If she were required to lay down her life for any of them, or even worse, required one of them to die to keep the Avatar alive, she couldn't allow emotions to make her doubt. This mission was too important.

They flew for the rest of the day, settling down to sleep for the night, before beginning again the next day. They were just preparing to set down for lunch again when Aang recognized the area of the Earth Kingdom he was in. "I know this place," he said, and Katara looked down at the passing world below to see if anything conspicuous stood out, or if he were referring to the geometry of the land. "The Kingdom of Omashu is just to the northwest of that lake right there," he said, pointing to a bean-shaped lake off to their left. He turned Appa in that direction, and Katara looked at him with confused eyes.

"We're going to Omashu?"

Aang nodded. "It's not too far a detour, and it's the second largest city in the Earth Kingdom. Since I'm going to be checking on the state of all the nations left in the world, I have to visit their most prominent cities. Omashu may not be the capital of the Earth Kingdom, but it _is_ one of the most important."

Katara's brow furrowed in confusion. "But wouldn't you see how badly the Fire Nation is affecting the others by visiting the smaller villages? They're not as protected, so the Fire Nation has affected them the most."

Aang nodded. "True. But the cities are the hub of civilization. There will be many accounts of the Fire Nation's transgressions to be heard there. It might give me a better idea as to how the rest of the world has fared against them." He shrugged. "I truthfully don't know if Omashu is still standing. I have to know if they've survived the last one hundred years." He turned to her with a smile. "Don't worry. We won't stay long. I just want to see how they're doing." Katara nodded, keeping her doubts to herself, as she wanted to get to the North Pole as soon as possible. Aang didn't mention that he had been to Omashu before, and that many of his childhood memories were held within its walls. It was, for all intents and purposes, his second home while learning how to earthbend. He had to see what had happened to it.

They came upon the city minutes later, the giant mountain peaks that marked the palace stretching high into the sky just like Aang remembered. Katara stared on in stunned silence as Aang gestured to the city. "The Kingdom of Omashu."

"Wow…" Katara said, drawing the attention of Suki and Sokka. "We don't have cities like this at the South Pole." She looked to Sokka, who was looking over her shoulder at the city. "Look at that thing! It's huge!"

Sokka stared, just as stunned as Katara, as they flew closer to the city. "That's amazing… Their buildings don't melt!"

Aang nodded. "Yep. They make their entire kingdom out of stone and dirt." He guided Appa to the ground, rethinking his idea of flying into the city. Sky bison hadn't been seen in over a hundred years, and there probably weren't a lot of places he could land inside the city. It would be best to walk the rest of the way. "This was my second home, back when I was learning how to bend the other three elements." He was silent as he stared out at the city, taking in the familiar scene. "It hasn't changed at all." Appa landed softly onto the ground amidst trees on a ridge overlooking a downward plain that stretched to the bridges of Omashu. "Appa, you stay here. It might look weird with a six-legged bison walking through those streets." He laughed. "And I doubt you'd fit anyway. Omashu was cramped the last time you were here." The bison growled good-naturedly, as if agreeing with Aang, before plopping down on the ground and beginning to sleep. Aang turned to the others and smiled. "Let's go. We have a little walk to get to the city, so we'd better get started."

Katara held him by the arm as he started to walk past her. "Wait, Aang…" He stopped and looked at her, confused as she pointed to his forehead. "Don't you think you'll be conspicuous with your tattoos showing? People might connect you to the Avatar." She shrugged. "You'll be drawing attention to us, at least."

Aang nodded, looking at his hands. "You're right. I need a disguise."

"I might have something," Suki said, walking to her satchel and rifling through its contents before finding what she was looking for. "I brought a devotion cloth we warriors would use when honoring our ancestors." She held out a yellow piece of square cloth to Aang as she continued, "We would kneel on it during moments of remembrance of our ancestors. It is a way we honored them." She gestured for him to take it. "It would still bring honor to them if it helped you in any way on your journey, be it an assistant to prayer or a disguise."

Aang nodded, taking the cloth gently as he smiled. "I am honored that you would do this for me." Suki only smiled before Aang looked at the cloth in closer detail. "I might be able to tie this around my head and hide my tattoo…" The others nodded, and Aang did so, finishing the knot and looking at them. "How do I look?"

The others shrugged, and Sokka smiled. "Like any other person we might meet on the road." He pointed to Aang's mala. "Except for that. That's sort of different." Aang looked down to view his necklace as Sokka traced the lines of the symbol on the central piece. "That's the symbol for the Air Nomads. Someone might notice that and ask questions." Aang nodded and handed the necklace Katara, who put the mala into a satchel on Appa's saddle. Content that Aang was unidentifiable as anything other than a wanderer, Sokka gestured for them to follow. "C'mon. Let's head to the city and find out what's been going on since Aang was last here."

They quickly closed the distance to the city, making the long trek up the stone bridge that zigzagged up the ridge, all the while Aang telling them about the city as he knew it. "The city was founded almost a thousand years ago by the first earthbenders. At least, that's how the legend goes." He looked up in thought as he recalled the story told to him by Monk Gayatso.

"Legend states that a man named Shu and a woman named Oma, each from one of two warring towns, met atop a mountain that divided their peoples and fell deeply in love. Although their relationship was forbidden and it was dangerous for them to continue meeting, the couple found a way to continue seeing each other. They became earthbenders after watching the ways of the badgermoles and created a great labyrinth which only they could navigate successfully. That was how they met secretly, while anyone else who tried to follow them would become lost forever in the ever-shifting tunnels. One day, though, Shu didn't come to meet Oma. She later found out that he was killed in the war against their two villages. Oma, stricken with grief and sorrow, was driven into a frenzy that would have easily destroyed the two villages in a terrifying display of earthbending power. Instead, she declared the conflict over and demanded the villages live in peace. A city was created in honor of the couple's love, which eventually became the Kingdom of Omashu, named after both lovers."

"Did that really happen?" Katara asked, smitten by the story.

Aang shrugged as he looked back at her. "I don't know. That's how legends say the city came about, but I wasn't around then."

"Cool story, though," Sokka said. Suki didn't comment.

As they neared the gates to the city, Katara voiced an uncertain doubt lingering in her head. "Um…where are the doors?"

Aang laughed. "They're right there!" He pointed to the wall at the end of the bridge, but gave no further explanation, and Katara's brow furrowed in confusion as she tried to understand just how a seventy-foot wall was a door. Her focus was taken from the walls to a commotion up front as they came up to a farmer attempting to enter the city. He had a cart ladled with cabbages, but the guards weren't letting him pass.

"Rotten cabbages?" an Omashu guard exclaimed, disgusted. "What kind of a slum do you think this is?" He tossed one of the cabbages he was holding into the chasm separating the mainland from the mountain peak that was Omashu, thrusting the other vegetable into the farmer's face. "Where do you get off thinking you can bring such disgusting produce into the city?" The farmer stuttered as he attempted to explain himself, but before he could utter a coherent word, the guard tossed the other cabbage aside and used earthbending to sweep the cart of cabbages off the bridge and into the chasm below.

"My cabbages!" the farmer exclaimed, horrified at the sight of his profit falling to the earth some three hundred feet below.

"Move along, farmer," the guard said, gesturing to the top of the wall, and Katara looked up to see more guards at the top acknowledging his unknown signal. "Don't cause trouble in Omashu, and _don't_ try to sell such disgusting slop here again." The massive wall split down the middle, opening in sections to reveal a city beyond the stone, leaving Katara speechless as her previous question was answered. Her surprise amused Aang, who had to shake her shoulder to snap her from her stupor before they moved up to the guards.

Expecting more trouble, the guard that confronted the farmer rushed forward, drawing a boulder from the earth and hanging it over Aang's head as he glared at them. "State your purpose here in Omashu, travelers."

Aang wasn't expecting such a greeting from Omashu; this city was one of the friendliest he had ever visited during his time, and he was caught off-guard as the man looked expectantly at him. "We're performers," he explained, and as soon as he heard the words slip from his mouth, he regretted them.

"Performers?" the man asked. He relaxed slightly, but didn't put down the boulder yet.

Aang nodded, the idea flying through his head. "We were invited here by a friend, Salisa Ro-Chan, to perform for her sister's birthday party. Perhaps you know them?"

The guard shook his head. "I do not." He looked the four up and down before asking, "Just what type of performance do you do?"

"Dancing." Aang gave his brightest smile, hoping it was convincing enough.

The earthbender held his gaze for a moment before nodding and replacing the boulder into the bridge. "Very well. You may pass. Enjoy Omashu, but cause no trouble." He made the same gesture to the guards at the top of the wall again, and the group watched in awe as earthbenders pulled the wall apart, allowing them passage into Omashu. Aang sighed in relief as the wall closed behind him, glad that his ruse had gone as smoothly as it had.

"Dancers?" Katara asked, and Aang nodded with a smile.

"We've all danced once. If he'd have asked, I'm sure we could have pulled it off."

"And who is Salisa Ro-Chan?" Sokka asked.

"She was a the owner of my favorite tea shop back when I was here a hundred years ago." Aang smiled at the memory.

"I'm just surprised they didn't stop us based on your clothing," Suki mentioned. "No one else wears clothing like that."

Aang shrugged. "It's been a hundred years since an Air Nomad was seen. I doubt they'd have made the connection. If anything, they thought it was part of my costume or something." He smiled at her before scratching the bandana to satisfy an itch forming at his crown. "Anyway, let's get started. I want to see how much the city has changed, and if it's seen the war yet." Beckoning to the three, he walked further into the city, amidst the crowd of people to rediscover his second home.

As they walked, Aang noticed that, no matter which part of the city they looked at, there wasn't a single piece of Fire Nation culture anywhere, very unusual for Omashu if he compared it to the city a hundred years ago. When he mentioned it to Sokka and Katara, they looked at him like he had grown three heads, and he proceeded to explain to them, "The Fire Nation of my time was well-known for its tea, and it was common to see several tea shops throughout many cities." He smiled at their disbelieving faces, and nodded. "It's true. There was nothing better than hot tea after a hard day's work, and the Fire Nation was the best at it." They were walking through the streets, looking at various merchants as he said this, and Aang waved his arms at the different booths as they passed. "This city once flourished with the culture of all four nations. It makes me sad to see that, because of this war, the city has retreated in on itself." He looked to the Water Tribesmen as he explained, "I haven't seen a single reference to the Water Tribe culture either, or any other culture for that matter."

"It may not look it," Suki said, traveling alongside the group, tugging at the shoulders of a brown traveling jerkin she had put on, "but this city is afraid. Afraid of what's out there. Afraid of what could happen if the Fire Nation ever opposed them. They go about their lives as if nothing is wrong, but you can see the difference between the city you knew, and the city now. The Fire Nation might not kill everyone if they end up dominating the world, or the other nations might just defeat the Fire Nation. However it happens, though, I do know this: If the Fire Nation is not stopped soon, the nations' cultures will die off." She looked at Aang, knowing he would understand the importance of such a declaration.

The visit was a somber one, and Aang would have left much sooner if not for overhearing two citizens of the city talk about their king. Even that wasn't unusual; Aang knew Omashu had a king, but the name they said caught his ear, making him halt in his place.

"Do you think the city will be overtaken?" A woman asked a man as they were gathering fruits from a farmer's market.

"No. That'd be impossible." The man shook his head as he gathered apples for his family, paying the merchant for the fruit before turning to the woman. "King Bumi has kept the city safe for the last fifty years. He's as solid and powerful as the stones that make up the city. He won't break easily."

Aang wanted to ask the people directly if they had really said 'Bumi' but decided against it. He might have a bandana to hide his tattoos, but he knew he still looked different from Earth Kingdom citizens or Water Tribesmen. Air Nomads were slimmer and had finer features than others, and anyone truly observant would notice the difference without trouble. He instead turned to the others, watching the two buyers walk in the other direction as he gestured to them. "Did you hear what they were talking about? Who they mentioned?"

Sokka looked back at them as he replied, "I thought they said something about their king. Boomy?" he asked, and Aang nodded.

"Yeah, King Bumi. That's what I thought I heard." Aang was silent, looking down in thought, and the group wondered just what about that overheard conversation had struck the Avatar as significant.

"Aang?" Katara asked. "What is it?"

Aang looked around, noticing the cluster of people before shaking his head at her. "Not here." He gestured for them to follow him, and the group walked down several more streets before Aang turned into a vacant side alley. The tribesmen were looking at him expectantly while Suki kept an eye out for trouble, and Aang explained why that conversation had so interested him before.

"Back in my time, one hundred years ago, I learned earthbending here from a good friend. His name was Bumi. He was a bit of an eccentric fellow, but I never suspected he would become king of Omashu."

Katara shrugged. "Are you even sure it's the same Bumi that you knew from long ago?"

Aang shook his head. "No. Bumi had no relation to royalty, so I don't know how he could have been crowned the king. But I _would_ like to meet him and see. If it is, I would much enjoy a chat with my old friend." He pondered the thought before adding, "He would be _very _old if he were still alive today, so odds are, it isn't the same Bumi. But it's almost too much a coincidence for me to pass up this chance."

Sokka nodded. "Well that's great, Aang, but just how are we going to seek an audience with the king? Tell him we're dancers?"

Aang laughed. "No. I could just ask the guards to mention my name to him. If it's really the Bumi I know, he'll invite us in." He stepped out into the main street again, the other three following him through the dusty, stone walkways. The city of Omashu was built on levels, with the gates at the lowest of the levels. The palace was at the top, meaning the four had to walk up hundreds of steps just to reach the palace. By the time they had reached the top, even Suki was feeling tired.

"I sure hope this is worth it," Sokka said irritably, and Aang found himself agreeing with the warrior.

"Don't worry," he assured, panting slightly from the climb. He looked around to sight the palace and began the walk to the huge building. "All I have to do is ask a guard to say my name to him. If it's my friend, we'll be able to enter. If not, we'll go ahead and get out of here."

The four stepped up to the beginnings of the palace, a long road stretched out in front of the building, painted green to match Earth Kingdom colors and flanked by pillars along the entire stretch of road. As they neared the building, Aang saw just how colossal it was; as long as he had been here, he had never gone to the palace itself. The doors themselves were at least fifty feet tall, and looked to be made of solid stone. He wasn't intimidated, but he did have a newfound respect for earthbenders the first time he was here, for surely that was the only way such a colossal building could have been made.

There were earthbenders at the foot of the mountainous palace, stepping up to intercept them before they reached the gates. "Halt!" one of the guards cried out, and as a precaution, the four flanking guards earthbent stones from the road to serve as protection. "You are standing at the foot of the Omashu Palace. State your business!"

Aang stepped forward, bowing low to the men before speaking. "My name is Aang. I've come to seek an audience with King Bumi."

"For what purpose?" the man asked. "The king doesn't see anyone unless it is for the good of Omashu."

Aang nodded. "I understand. Could you at least mention my name to him? I know the king, and I think he'd like to speak to me if he knew I was here." At this, the guards hesitated, the spokesman looking at Aang with confusion. "We'll remain here while you ask if you'd like."

The guard nodded. "Don't move." He nodded to his fellow guards before departing inside the palace, and Aang looked to the others.

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Katara asked.

Aang shrugged. "Like I said, I have no idea. If it's Bumi, we'll be fine. If not, we'll just leave." He chuckled. "Maybe a little embarrassed, but at least we'll be on our way to the North Pole." They stood waiting for a few more minutes before they noticed the doors open and the same guard coming out.

"The king would like to speak with you," was all he said, and the guards let them pass. "Follow me, please." Turning, the guard walked back into the palace, opening the door for them with earthbending and closing it after they had walked inside.

To describe the inside of the palace, one would think 'green'. The entire palace, from the walls to the ceiling to the pillars decorating the walls, was a jade green. The audience chamber was T-shaped, with the four at the bottom of the T. The king sat at a throne at the far end of the wall, surrounded by guards with spears, and as Aang neared, he thought to himself that if this was Bumi, his eccentric side had certainly extended to his clothing. The man was dressed in layers of green clothing, with an unusual crown that Aang could think of no way to describe other than cloth horns spiraling up from it. He was certainly old; if Aang was correct, he was almost one hundred and twenty two years old. He had a bush of white hair crowning his head and a strong white beard, and as Aang came to a stop before the throne, the king's eyes widened.

"Aang?" he asked, surprised and unbelieving. "Is that you?" The king stood, and the guards backed away to give him space as he took a step forward. "Avatar Aang?"

Aang removed his bandana and smiled at the old man. "Are you the same Bumi that confessed to being a mad genius?" Katara, Sokka, and Suki had no idea what Aang was referring to, but it was the only thing the two needed to confirm each other's identity.

The king cackled. "That it is, my boy. That it is!" He stepped forward, and Aang met him halfway with a hug. "My, you haven't changed a bit." He pulled out to arm's length to look at Aang in full. "Literally, at that!" He cackled, and Aang chuckled good-naturedly. Bumi frowned as he regarded Aang. "How is it that I've grown to be a decrepit old badger and you're still the young airbender that you were the last time I saw you?"

"It's actually quite embarrassing, really," Aang said. "I was on a trip to the South Pole to serve as the Air Nomad's ambassador when Appa and I flew into a massive storm. I wasn't thinking clearly when it suddenly came up, and it drove us into the water. I panicked and didn't think to try to save us. The last thing I remember about that day was the feeling of the Avatar awakening inside me." He gestured to Sokka and Katara. "These two found me encased in a sphere of ice near their village. I've been encased in that ice until about a month ago."

Bumi cocked his head. "By the spirits, I didn't think we'd ever see the Avatar again!" He cackled, excited beyond comparison, as he pulled Aang into another hug. "My boy, you have no idea how good it is to see you again!" He pulled away again, his hands on Aang's shoulders. "When I heard about the air temples, I had feared the worst. And then I heard nothing from you, or even about you for a hundred years." Aang was surprised as he saw his friend begin to tear up. "And now you're back." He suddenly remembered the guards behind him, and he turned to them quickly as he yelled out. "Go to the kitchens! Tell them we're to have the finest feast this palace has ever seen!" The guards saluted and left, leaving Bumi to turn to his friend. "Now, Aang, we have much to catch up on. But first, who are these friends you've brought with you?"

Aang suddenly remembered them and gestured to them in turn. "This is Sokka, Katara, and Suki. Sokka and Katara are from the Southern Water Tribe, as you might have guessed. Suki is the leader of the Kyoshi warriors on Kyoshi Island. They're traveling with me to help me stop the Fire Nation."

Bumi nodded, recognition in his face. "So you know about the recent war, do you?" Aang nodded, and Bumi sighed exhaustively as he sat in his throne. "The war started the same year you disappeared. I've been seeing the effects of it ever since, and it's beginning to take its toll on me." Bumi looked at Aang, and the airbender could see that his friend was tired. "I'm almost 122 years old." He cackled. "Well, so are you, give or take a few years, but ice treatments have kept you looking so youthful and carefree." Aang smiled at Bumi's attempt at a joke, but the old man went on. "This war is destroying the world we love, Aang. You, as the Avatar, have to stop it."

Aang nodded. "That's what I intend to do. I'm traveling to the North Pole to rally the Northern Water Tribe with me. I intend to have them lend support to their sister tribe at the South Pole." He shook his head. "Without their help, the South Pole won't survive much longer."

Bumi nodded. "It's like that for many people around the world. My city has long been protected by the walls that surround it, but even that won't last. Fire Nation tenacity will see to that."

Aang shook his head sadly. "What caused all this, Bumi? Why has the Fire Nation suddenly attacked others? I know they've been more aggressive than the other nations, but I didn't think they were capable of this."

Bumi nodded. "It came as a surprise to everyone. A comet came through the atmosphere, almost striking the planet almost a hundred years ago. That comet made firebending overwhelmingly powerful. It was during that attack that the Fire Lord of our time, Sozin, launched an attack on every nation at once." Bumi shrugged. "I've heard rumors over the years that Sozin was trying to bring about his nation's culture to every other nation, to enlighten them." He shook his head. "No one really knows, and this far into the war, I doubt it even matters anymore. What we need is for someone to end it." Bumi stood. "I _know_ you can end this war, Aang. I've never seen such a powerful bender in all my life, and I've _never_ heard of someone mastering soulbending until you did." He laid a hand on his shoulder. "You will have my support the entire way, my friend. To the very heart of the Fire Nation archipelago, if need be."

Aang nodded. "Thank you, Bumi." He laid a hand on his friend's shoulder as well. "I will stop the Fire Nation with all my power and restore peace to this world once again. You have my word."

* * *

Aang and the others enjoyed a bountiful meal at Bumi's palace, the feast especially exotic to the Water Tribesmen, who had never seen so much food at once. Sokka, in particular, was excited about the different meats he had to choose from. Bumi remembered his old friend's tastes, of course, providing a modest selection of fruits and vegetables for Aang to choose from. The group sat at a long table, Bumi sitting at the head, with Aang and Sokka immediately next to him; Aang, due to his status as Avatar, and Sokka as the leader of the Southern Water Tribe. The two women sat next to either man. Despite being in the presence of a king amidst a feast, the five chatted about things as if they were merely friends having a simple lunch.

"So," Aang said as the last conversation died down. "How'd you become king of Omashu?" He pushed his plate away and leaned on the table, looking at his friend. "As far as I know, there's not an ounce of royal blood in your body."

Bumi smiled. "Simple. I killed the previous king and took his place." He cackled at the airbender's expression. "A surprise, I know, but it's the truth."

Aang failed to see the humor in the subject, more concerned with the validity of the comment. "You're serious?"

Bumi nodded, humor dropping from his face. "I am. I killed Puyi and was named his successor through democratic vote."

Aang shook his head. "But why would you kill Puyi? And why was his heir not crowned king? What happened here, Bumi?"

Bumi took a deep breath as he leaned back in his chair. "Well, most of the events elude my failing memory. The pains of growing old." He smiled to himself as he continued. "What I can tell you is that Puyi's entire line was ready to surrender the city to the Fire Nation. That was something I couldn't let happen." His eyes grew remorseful. "I remember leading a group of earthbenders to the castle gate after I'd heard of Puyi's intentions. He had brought an ambassador from the Fire Nation to Omashu to sign a treaty that would end hostilities between our nations. I knew what would happen if he signed that treaty. I had to stop it at all costs. We broke through and fought our way to the throne room, where Puyi, his two sons, and the Fire Nation ambassador were. Words failed to sway the old badger, so we were forced to fight. Puyi's sons died in the attack, as did the ambassador, but we spared Puyi. With testimonies from the castle servants and advisors, we brought him before the people, asking that they judge him. It was only fitting, as he was ready to sign them over to the Fire Nation." He hesitated for a moment, likely reliving the event. "Though it was unorthodox to allow the people to judge the king for his actions, it was the right thing to do."

Katara, who was hanging on every word of the story, pressed Bumi for the rest of it. "What did they decide?"

Bumi looked down at his hands clasped in his lap as he answered sadly. "They chose execution." There was silence afterward. Nothing could be said. "I was the one who executed the man," Bumi finally said after a time. "I was caught up in the moment. I didn't stop to think Puyi was only doing what he thought best for his people. I only knew that he planned to surrender us to the enemy."

Another lingering silence permeated the air before Aang spoke up. "The people chose you to be the king afterwards?" he asked softly.

Bumi nodded. "I refused. I had no right to take the throne, and I didn't want to lead an entire people." He smiled. "They wouldn't have it, though. The entire city, more or less, wanted me to lead them in this time of war. They were willing to overlook the social structure and grant me a one-time opportunity to make a difference. So I took it." He looked to Aang. "And from then on, my earthbenders have been harassing the Fire Nation at every turn while I have endeavored to make the city as safe as possible." He smiled. "That's my story. What have you been doing these past hundred years, Aang?"

Aang smiled, despite the tone of the conversation. Bumi's good humor was infectious. "Shirking my duties. I figure I've avoided them long enough, though. Perhaps you and I can talk more about the world as it is today."

Bumi smiled as he stood. "Perhaps we can. Though right now you look to be as tired as I feel. I think it best if we retire for the night." He clapped his hands and two servants appeared. "Show our guests to their rooms and see to their every need." He looked back at Aang and company as he bowed. "It has been a pleasure to see you again, Aang, and my honor to meet your friends. Tomorrow, we shall catch up on old times."

Aang stood, and as one the others stood with him. "Thank you, Bumi. It's good to see you again." He bowed, and the others mimicked his bow before they were led to their chambers. Aang found himself in a room next to Katara, with Sokka and Suki further down the hall. As he entered, an air of familiarity overcame him. The room was massive, containing a bed, wardrobe, dining table, shelves with books, and a floortop model of the world. It was a room reserved for a guest of honor, and though he hated to admit it, Aang was used to this kind of treatment. He was, of course, the Avatar. He looked to the servant waiting politely beyond the threshold. "I believe I have everything I need here." He smiled at the servant as he bowed and left, leaving Aang to unwind for the night. He placed his staff in a corner of the room and tugged off his boots, setting them to the side of the bed. There, he found a jar of water, and the Avatar smiled at the thoughtfulness.

Moments later, he wiped his face clean with a towel and left the room, intending to see what the others thought of their own rooms. Katara's door was still open, and he cautiously peeked inside to see that she was going through the clothing in the wardrobe, her face beyond excited. "I see you're getting used to the room," he said as he leaned on the doorframe, startling her.

She smiled at him. "This room is amazing! I've never seen such a big room!" She looked to the rest of the room, spreading her arms out. "This one room is as big as an entire house at my village!"

Aang chuckled, nodding. "I know. My old room at the temple is able to fit in a room like this four times over."

"And they live like this all the time?" she asked, incredulous.

Aang nodded, assuming she was referring to those in the castle. "Yep."

Katara sighed, a little of the happiness draining from her face. "It must be nice to be rich."

Aang chuckled slightly. "Having wealth isn't everything, I've learned."

Katara cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you said Air Nomads shunned earthly possessions." She earned a nod from him, and she put her hands on her hips. "So how would you know that wealth isn't everything?" she asked in an amused voice.

Aang hesitated before shrugging. "A good point." He chuckled as he walked inside the room. "Let's say it's a _very_ good guess." They laughed for a moment before Katara stepped away from the wardrobe, looking at Aang in full.

"How does it feel to be back in Omashu?" she asked, tumbling on the bed.

Aang looked away as Katara unknowingly began showing cleavage, instead taking an interest in the mirror. "It's...surreal, I suppose." He cradled his arms, hands on opposite elbows, as he inspected himself in the mirror. "To see Bumi so old..." His voice died a little as the revelation that his friends were all probably dead or just as old as Bumi. Here he was, one hundred years later and yet still in his prime. He shook his head. "It's hard to accept." Katara didn't seem to have anything to say, and they lingered into a small silence before Aang continued. "I still have a job to do, though. I'll have to get used to Bumi walking a little slower than me now." He flashed a small smile to Katara to let her know he would be fine, and to not worry about him.

She returned the smile as she rolled onto her back. "Life will get better," she said in a positive tone, clasping her hands on her stomach. "I tell myself that every day. I'm starting to believe it, too, now that I met you." She gave him another smile, one he returned. "How long do you want to stay here?"

Aang shrugged, looking away in thought. "I'm not sure. We shouldn't stay long, but..." he fell silent, and Katara was perceptive enough to know why.

"You'll miss Bumi..."

Aang nodded, remaining silent for a time. "It was a mistake coming here," he said finally, earning a look of shock from Katara. "The loss of a hundred years is still hard for me to bear, and I keep reminding myself of that fact." He walked back up to the mirror, staring at himself for a long time. Katara remained silent on the bed, staring at Aang as she wrestled with what to say - if anything could be said at all. "So much could have been different had I been at the temple when this happened."

Katara pulled herself up from the bed, walking behind Aang and laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "But you weren't." He sighed heavily, and Katara's face took on a look of concern. "The Air Nomads sound like people who valued wisdom above all else. From what I've seen in you, you're everything they aspire to be." His face betrayed no emotion, and so Katara felt slightly discouraged before continuing on despite her misgivings. "You can't change the past, no matter how you feel about it. The wise course of action would be to learn from the past and use its lessons to better the future."

Aang nodded, still depressed, but slowly overcoming it. "I know." He shook his head as he turned to Katara with a small smile. "Forgive me. Sometimes it's too easy to get caught up in what could have happened."

Katara nodded, offering a sympathetic smile. "If I can help in any way, just let me know."

Aang gave her a genuine smile that, while not entirely joyful, was much brighter than before. "You're doing enough as it is." There was a small, awkward silence before Aang decided this was a time for him to settle in bed. "I think I'll head to bed. I'm sure I have much to learn tomorrow, if Bumi is still the same genius as he was a hundred years ago." Katara cocked a questioning eyebrow at Aang as he walked past her, and he laughed. "Bumi was always into these strategy games that required unique thinking. He always had a knack for that stuff. If I know him, he's kept a close eye on the world, with details of everything possible stored away for possible use." He paused at the threshold and nodded to Katara. "Thanks again, Katara. Sleep well."

The waterbender smiled sweetly. "You too, Aang."

Aang walked out, closing the door behind him and took a momentary glance toward Sokka's room to see the warrior walking out of Suki's room at the same time, looking sullen. Aang glanced toward his bed for only a moment before he turned and met the warrior at the entrance to his room. "Sokka," he greeted, drawing the tribesman out of his thoughts. "Something wrong?"

"Oh, hey Aang," Sokka said half-heartedly. He sighed as he looked toward Suki's room, the door being shut at that moment. He stared after it for a moment before looking to the Avatar and beckoning him inside his room. After he had closed it, the warrior turned to Aang, his facial features distraught. "Have you noticed anything weird about Suki lately?"

Aang cocked an eyebrow, certainly noticing Suki's sudden change in behavior, but curious of Sokka's own conclusion. "Weird?"

Sokka nodded. "Yeah. At Kyoshi Island, she was a lot more approachable and outgoing. Now," he held out his hands to emphasize his helplessness. "She's a completely different person. It's like she doesn't want to travel with us, that it's a sort of obligation."

Aang nodded, brows furrowing. "I _have_ noticed her distancing herself lately." He crossed his arms as he stared at Sokka. "Why do you think she would do that?"

Sokka stared at the wall, as if looking through to Suki's room. He shook his head. "I don't know," he said, dejectedly.

Aang smiled. "Of course you do. There's one explanation that makes sense, and you, as chief of your tribe, should be familiar with it."

Sokka looked to Aang for a moment, his brain likely picking apart the different explanations he could think about. Moments later, a flash of recognition passed over his face. "Indifference for the sake of the mission."

Aang nodded. "She swore herself to me and my ultimate goal. I think in doing so, she's distancing herself from us to make it easier to do what's necessary." He shrugged. "It's not a viewpoint I'd like, but it's also one I'm familiar with." Sokka cocked his head in confusion as Aang explained. "Air Nomads shunned hope, a common emotion to others. We saw it as a distraction, stealing our thoughts away from the present to the desires of our imagination. Having been raised by all four cultures, I can see the benefits of hope now, where I didn't when I was young." He looked to the wall as well, a small gesture to Suki. "I think Suki struggles with her upbringing, a way of life that demanded survival above all else." He looked back to Sokka. "In a way, preparing herself emotionally to make choices necessary for _my_ survival helps guarantee her own people's survival."

Sokka's face fell, likely saddened by the news. It would mean any possibility of a relationship with the woman - for Aang could see they were blatantly heading towards one on Kyoshi Island - was almost impossible now. He sighed heavily. "I guess it's for the best," and the comment surprised Aang as Sokka attempted a smile. "At least I know it wasn't anything _I_ did."

Aang smiled sympathetically. "Life often makes us stronger by knocking us down."

Sokka nodded. "Yeah." There was a small silence before Sokka nodded once more to Aang. "I think I'll turn in. I'm getting to be a little tired."

Aang nodded. "Alright. If you need to talk, you can always talk to me, Sokka."

The warrior gave a grateful glance to Aang as he smiled. "Thanks."

Aang left the warrior to his inevitable brooding and made his way to his room, closing the door behind him. There were many things on his mind as he removed his clothes and collapsed on the bed, but none of them held his mind longer than the time it took for his head to hit the pillow. In a matter of minutes, he slept.

* * *

Bumi allowed Suki and the tribesmen to have full reign of the palace the next morning while he and Aang discussed much about the past one hundred years. They talked about the Fire Nation's bold attempts to gain territory throughout the Earth Kingdom, as well as their onslaught against both Water Tribes for the past century; nothing was said about the Air Nomads - nothing needed to be said. They spoke about the nations' attempts to fight back the Fire Nation, different battles between Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom or Water Tribe, as well as the many changes that Aang could expect to see throughout the world as he traveled to gather supporters.

"Firebending will be very dangerous in the world now, Aang," Bumi said, and Aang nodded as he understood the king's reasoning. "Firebenders are the enemy to anyone that isn't Fire Nation. If someone sees you using firebending, they could think you a traitor. If too many people think this, you'll find it very difficult, if not impossible, to gather survivors." Bumi took a bite of bread as he and Aang pored over a map of the world as it was now, Bumi listing the cities that still remained, and those that had fallen since the beginning of the war. "It's important not to get discouraged over people's lack of hope, too. After a hundred years at war, very few people will have the drive to stand up and fight back. Especially non-benders." He pointed at Aang as he said, "You have to be the reason they remember what it was like to live in peace. You have to give them that desire, to live in peace again, away from the tyranny of the Fire Nation."

Aang nodded. "I'll try my best, but..." he looked down. "I'm not a leader."

Bumi cackled. "Oh, yes you are. You're the Avatar. The Avatar is always the one to lead." He smiled, his left eye twitching like it did when he was a child. "Just search your memories. Your past lives will help you with this situation."

Aang smiled. "I don't know. I don't think an Avatar has ever been in this situation before. The world at stake?"

Bumi shrugged. "Who can say. You Avatars have been around for over a thousand generations. Surely something of this magnitude kicked an Avatar in the rocks once or twice."

Aang chuckled. "Maybe." He thought about something else to say but suddenly noticed Katara standing in the doorway. "Katara! Come in. Bumi was just catching me up on the cities that have fallen since I was last here, and the cities that still stand today."

Katara came up to sit beside Aang, looking at the map of the world with wonder. "Wow. The world is bigger than I thought." She looked to Aang. "No wonder it's taking us forever to get to the North Pole." She looked back at the map, finding Omashu on it and widening her eyes. "We're not even halfway there."

Bumi cackled. "Nope. Not even close. If it's taken you almost a month to get out this way, I'd expect you have another month and a half. Maybe even two months."

Katara shook her head at the scale of it all, looking to Aang as she gestured to the map. "How are we going to do this?" Doubt crept into her voice, and Aang placed a hand on hers to quell her fears.

"We'll simply do our best." He smiled reassuringly at her. "We can do nothing more."

Bumi nodded. "You must rally as many people to your cause as you can. Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom. Get to the North Pole as quickly as you can and convince them to lend their support to their sister tribe in the south. After you reach the North Pole, you'll need to go to Ba Sing Se and get the Earth King on your side. Though, from what I hear, talking to him is like talking to a rock." Bumi cackled at his own joke as Aang turned to Katara.

"Bumi's going to give us money and supplies to last us a few more days, as well as a few more changes of clothes we can use if we ever need to disguise ourselves."

Katara smiled. "The money will be useful. We can buy food that won't spoil on the go. That seal jerky didn't last as long as I'd hoped it would."

Aang nodded. "Where's Sokka and Suki?"

Katara leaned her head on her arm as she recalled the two telling her where they were going. "They said something about visiting the outer rock gardens earlier. Sokka wanted to talk to Suki about something." She shrugged. "I hope he doesn't say the wrong thing, or I might have to use your earthbending to dig a grave." Aang laughed with Katara as Bumi suddenly recognized the interaction between the two.

Bumi smiled wickedly as he leaned on the desk towards the two. "So, Aang," he started, and Aang could see a mischievous glint in his eye. "Has the Avatar already found a suitor?"

Both benders sat there for a moment, the question going over their heads. Katara was first to blush, and was so surprised, she couldn't control her tongue as she denied the accusation. "No! We're nothing like that! We're just friends!"

Aang chuckled, though he himself was blushing slightly, and hoped Bumi would go on to another subject quickly. He thanked the spirits when Bumi did.

"Well, you'd probably best be on your way." Bumi stood, and Aang and Katara stood with him. "I would love to stay and chat with you, my old friend, but the world needs you to get started for the North Pole again." Bumi circled the table to Aang and both friends hugged each other again before they separated and Bumi bowed to Aang. "Wherever the Avatar goes, know that he has a friend in Omashu, and that the city of Omashu is wholly committed to his cause."

Aang returned the bow. "Thank you, Bumi. It was wonderful to see you again." Aang smiled as Katara also stood and bowed to Bumi.

"Thank you for your help, Your Majesty. We-"

"No, no! I'm not anyone's majesty!" Bumi laughed. "To you, I am Bumi." He smiled at Katara as the lady laughed.

"Very well then. Thank you, Bumi. We promise we'll do whatever we can to bring peace back to the world."

Bumi nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Be sure you do, young one. And watch over my friend." Katara straightened from her bow and looked at Bumi as the older man continued. "Be there for him always, and let him never forget that he has friends in this world who love him and care for him."

Katara smiled, promising never to let Aang think the opposite. "I promise. He'll always have a friend in me."

Bumi nodded. "Right! Then off you go! You have a world to save! You have a world to save, and you can't do it amidst these dusty old halls!" He shooed them away from the desk and into the connecting hallways. "Find those friends of yours gallivanting among my corridors and leave! Do whatever you can to restore the world peace!"

Aang smiled at Bumi and nodded. "I will. Keep Omashu safe. We'll return once again."

Bumi nodded. "I know you will, my friend. I didn't doubt you a hundred years ago, and I won't start now."

* * *

The walls of Omashu closed shut behind them with a thud, leaving the four to descend the winding earthen ramp to the mainland. Aang looked to Sokka and Suki as they descended, smiling at the two. They probably didn't think they were conspicuous, but Aang could tell there was something unusual about their attitudes. Sokka seemed quite cheerful, and Suki was smiling. Aang wondered what the two had discussed out in the rock gardens but left that to them. If they wanted to share it with him, they would. He was just glad he saw Bumi again. To think that he was still alive... It made Aang happier than he had ever felt in his life. It even overshadowed his other problems that he knew he would have to face later in life. Rallying others to his cause, defeating Ozai, establishing a peace between the remaining three nations... and that brought up a whole new issue that he _knew_ would be difficult to fix: rebuilding the Air Nomads. He knew without a doubt he would be obligated to marry and have children. Many children, probably. And probably with many women to give him as many children as possible. One child every nine months wasn't enough to bolster the Air Nomads' ranks, and even then there was no guarantee any child he would have would be an airbender. Solutions to the problem flew through his head, and yet none of them sounded good enough. Those issues usually put him in a somber mood, but today, he knew his friend Bumi was alive, and nothing else mattered at the moment. That was good enough for him.

Katara was busy thinking over Bumi's question to Aang, the question that may have been a small jab of humor at his old friend...but may have been an honest question. _Had the Avatar found a suitor?_ Katara was a practical girl; it came from being without a mom for most of her life. But she still found Aang to be undeniably attractive and mysterious, and lately she had been having thoughts about wondering what Aang would do after the war was over, assuming they survived. Would he have that family he always wanted to have? She assumed he would; he would have to rebuild the Air Nomads from his own family. But part of her was also wondering just who he would have that family with, and she admitted to herself that she wanted him to pick _her_ for that. She had traveled with him for over a month, training and talking with him about everything they could think of. She knew him better than any other person her age, and she guessed she was feeling her first infatuation of her life. Aang was the first man she had ever seriously thought was attractive, but before she dwelt on that thought, she reminded herself that he was the Avatar. Though she deeply wanted to at least see if a mutual attraction was there, she promised herself she'd keep it to herself. Aang was going through enough as it was. This was something he didn't need to stress over. She'd simply be there for him as a friend.

The four made it back to the trees they had left Appa near, the sky bison still there despite their overnight stay in the city. As they piled into the saddle with their new supplies, each had much on their mind. What was prevalent among all four of them, though, was the idea that they were the last remaining hope for the world. If they couldn't establish a peace between every nation on Earth, the planet might as well be engulfed in a wash of fire.

* * *

**A/N: Take special consideration into Aang and Katara's relationship. Let me know by review or PM if you think they're going too slow or fast, or if anything seems unrealistic about ANY of their characters' interactions so far**, **Suki's especially. I want her to be that stoic warrior that will eventually warm up to everyone, but she seems sort of hollow in this chapter. Next chapter, I'll try to touch on her emotions and ideals, but I still would like feedback to hear opinions. It's how I get my ideas and such :-/**

**Thanks for reading! I'm honored!**


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